Lusaka High Court judge Jane Kabuka says fourth Republican president Rupiah Banda is not a flight-risk.
This is contained in a court order which was however rendered worthless by immigration officers acting on instruction from President Michael Sata, his business allies Mutembo Nchito (Director of Public Prosecutions) and chief propagandist Fred M’membe (Post Newspaper owner).
The immigrations officers blocked Rupiah from travelling to South Africa on the 07:15 flight to attend a Boston University organised roundtable conference even when the court had given green light.
Officially confirming the incident at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport this morning, Rupiah’s administrative assistant Kennedy Limwanya even efforts to telephone the Chief Immigration officer did not yield any positives.
“The former head of State was due to fly out on a South African Airways 07:15 hours flight as a guest of the Boston University’s African Presidential Centre which is hosting the 2013 African Presidential Roundtable in Johannesburg.
“Despite being shown the Court Order signed by Lusaka High Court Judge-in-Charge Jane Kabuka, the immigration officers said they understood what the Order said but could do nothing about it, as the instructions they were implementing had come from the Chief Immigration Officer Moola Milomo.
“When contacted, Mr Milomo said he, too, was acting on instructions from “above”,” Limwanya stated.
He explained that Judge Kabuka yesterday ordered the Joint Government Investigation Team to release Rupiah’s passport to enable him travel to South Africa.
“In her ruling, Judge Kabuka said the former president was not a flight-risk as he has all his possessions in Zambia and young children he was leaving behind, and that the invitation to South Africa was from a credible source, which showed that he was internationally recognised and respected,” Limwanya stressed.
In April, again in defiance of a magistrate’s Court Order, President Banda was blocked at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport as he was about to board a Kenyan Airways plane to go and attend the inauguration of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi.
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