NO OFFENCE IN FINDLAY HAVING TWO PASSPORTS PINED TOGETHER, EX CHIEF OF PASSPORTS TELLS COURT
Former Chief Passport Officer Emmanuel Tembo, 52 has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that there is nothing wrong for Lusaka businessman Harry Findlay to have two passports pined together.
This is in a matter where the business executive is accused of two counts of possessing more than one passport, the allegation he has denied.
In the first count he is accused of acquiring a Zambian passport Number ZP 021382 purporting to have lost a passport number ZP 013259 when infact not.
And in the second count its alleged that on the same date he possessed a forged Mwami Immigration boarder control stamp in his passport number ZP 032178 purporting that it was officially endorsed when infact not.
Testifying before Lusaka principal resident magistrate Sylvia Munyinya ,Mr Tembo currently a director at Cabinet Office and who has worked at passport office for over 20 years narrated to Court how one gets a passport when it’s full, expired, lost and when it has an error in it.
In the case of the accused he testified that he was issued with another passport after the first passport was full but had a valid American Visa which could be used together with the new one.
When asked by defence Counsel on under what circumstances can a person hold two passports in Zambia, the witness told court that you can not have two passports at the same time but you can only hold two when one is full but with valid visa pined together with a new passport.
Again he was asked why pining them together?
In his response, he told Court that it was because of fear of losing or leaving one behind.
He further explained that in circumstances where the passport is expired, full or an error is made in it during the renewal, they give them back except a diplomatic passport which is surrendered back to passport office.
He said Mr Findlay complied with all the requirements when he was issued the new passport because before issuing the new passport officers do their work thoroughly in investigation.
Mbili Reports
FM