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A United Party for National Development (UPND)-affiliated music producer, Gift Hachilima, has sued the Attorney General, demanding K3.75 million in damages for alleged false imprisonment and malicious prosecution linked to a controversial song about former President Edgar Lungu.
Hachilima, who was arrested in March 2021 for producing the song Lungu, claims his detention was politically motivated.
In a lawsuit filed on March 11, 2025, in the Lusaka High Court, he argued that police stormed his home in Choma’s Macha Hospital compound and took him into custody over a SIM card allegedly linked to a crime.
However, during his detention at Choma Central Police Station, officers allegedly informed him that his arrest was actually tied to the song, which authorities deemed defamatory.
He maintains that he only produced the song but did not perform it, saying his friend Augustine Kunda was the artiste.
Despite this, he was allegedly held incommunicado, denied legal representation, and later detained for 76 days before being released on police bond in June 2021.
The lawsuit states that police seized his computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, claiming the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) needed them for investigations.
His court case was repeatedly delayed due to the prosecution’s failure to produce witnesses.
Hachilima is seeking K3.75 million in compensation for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.
He is also demanding K162,500 in special damages for lost earnings and damaged property, compensation for mental anguish, physical suffering, and reputational harm, as well as aggravated damages for alleged torture and brutality.
He further wants interest on the claimed amounts and legal costs covered.
He insists his arrest was unjustified and politically driven, arguing that authorities acted maliciously by detaining him before conducting proper investigations.
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