Meanwhile, Ndola magistrate John Mbuzi has ordered the police to leave the court premises and allow the magistrates to operate freely. When Hichilema and his vice, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, approached Ibenga, armed police blocked them and started searching and harassing the entourage. You are not going; these are instructions. We need to fish out some chaps in here.
After about five minutes, the entourage started off but were stopped again three kilometres into Luanshya town centre. And defence lawyer Jack Mwiimbu said the conduct of the police was an infringement on the rights of the accused.
Armed police are made to escort them out, to the detriment of their rights as citizens. It therefore follows that the accused persons have failed to make necessary arrangements for their stay on the Copperbelt. We seek that you protect the rights of the accused persons because they are not convicts. The so called security arrangements have gone to the extent of violating the rights of our clients.
In his ruling, magistrate Mbuzi said it was undesirable for the police not to allow free operations of the courts. So I order the police to leave and allow the proceeding to go fairly and freely," magistrate Mbuzi ordered. The accused have decided to reconstitute the defence team. Senior counsel who is to lead the defence is unable to travel due to the fact that he is appearing before the Constitutional Court.
As a consequence of the re-constitution of the defence, we seek for indulgence of the court to grant us an adjournment to allow the accused persons to be represented by a lawyer of their choice," said Mwimbu.
