How can I interfere with witnesses in front of all media houses? – Lusambo
FORMER Kabushi member of parliament Bowman Lusambo says he was shocked when Diamond TV journalist Darius Choonya certified the State’s claims that he interfered with witnesses in a matter were he is facing 10 corruption related charges.
He said the men he poked when he jokingly told Choonya to give him a break and film witnesses of the ACC, are his associates.
Lusambo is facing three counts of attempting to interfere with witnesses who were scheduled to testify before magistrate Faidess Hamaundu in a matter where he is accused of posessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, engaging in tax evasion among other charges.
Allegations in the three counts are that Lusambo between February 1, April 1 and April 30,2022 in order to obstruct the due course of justice endeavored to disuade or prevent Cosmas Chalusa, Enerst Sumani and Mundia Mataa to give evidence as witnesses before court.
In his defence before magistrate Trevor Kasanda, Lusambo said he did not know that Chalusa and Sumani were witnesses in his case as the Anti-Corruption Commission did not parade them before Court to warn them to attend Court.
“What happened on 7 April we were scheduled to appear before magistrate Faidess Hamaundu, that day the Court decided to adjourn the matter to letter dates. I was accompanied by my wife and we were walking outside of the court room,” he said
“There were so many media houses I told them why are you focusing on filming me alone we have people like Christopher Siwakwi. I directed the media to film Siwakwi and pointed at were he was standing and off we went”
Lusambo said he was not given a list of witnesses by the ACC neither did he point at potential witnesses.
“I was shocked when the ACC called Darius as a witness in this case claiming I pointed at Siwakwi (ACC investigations officer) and the witnesses,” he said.
He said Sumani and Chalusa are not strangers to him as he knows them on a personal level hence the reason he was joking with them after his court case.
“I knew Sumani in 2013 he was a town clerk in Ndola. We had so many transactions with Sumani. When I was acquiring land in Ndola I went through his office. In 2016 I became a minister of the Copperbelt province and I worked with him as my subordinate and the entire council,” Lusambo said.
“Shamenda told me honorable balemishupafye, ( they are troubling you) and I told him fyonse fikapwa ma politics aya( it shall be well these are just politics) . I didn’t know he was a witness.”
He explained that Chalusa is his business partner for many years and the latter owed him money in a land transaction.
Lusambo further claimed that he did not call Mataa to prevent him from testifying in his case.
“I was very shocked that there was a case against me that I was trying to stop Mr Chalusa from testifying before Hamaundu. Since the case started I never had any time with Mr Chalusa to discuss anything to do with the case,” Lusambo said.
“Mundia Mataa was lying that I called him and told him not to testify in the case. He was showing the Court a screenshot which had my name and not the number purporting he received a missed call from me which is not correct. At no time have I stopped the three from testifying they appeared before magistrate Hamaundu and testified, they testified in this Court that I did not do that.”
He said he was surprised that ACC investigations officer Mulenga Mulenga was his arresting officer when the case was investigated by Siwakwi.
During cross examination by ACC senior prosecutor Daniel Ngwira, Lusambo said he did not have evidence to prove that Choonya lied when the told the Court that he interfered with witnesses.
He said he could not tell if Sumani, Chalusa and Mataa who were in the company of Siwakwi were witnesses because he is not a fortune teller.
The matter has been adjourned to September 26, for continued defense.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba