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Ex-Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, George Magwende, has dragged Social media blogger, Simon Mwewa Chitambala, to court for issuing libelous statements that he was corrupt and part of the alleged Asian-Zambian drug cartel.
According to documents filed in the Lusaka High Court on Thursday, Dr Magwende, alleged that Chitambala who runs online media known as ‘Simon Mwewa Lane TV’ both on Facebook and YouTube, published defamatory remarks which injured his reputation and professional standing.
He claimed that Chitambala published the defamatory statements on April 15,2023, headlined ,”The Asian-Zambian Pharmaceutical cartel and how PS, officers undermine the minister of health”
The plaintiff further quoted some posts made by Chitambala before he began live streaming.
The quoted posts ;”Live at 15 hrs today, I will tell you who the Asian Zambian Pharmaceutical cartel is and who is funding Tayali by giving him false information meant to mislead the public”.
“Today we are talking about the pharmaceutical industry in Zambia, and I have to tell you that the Zambian Pharmaceutical industry is awash with corruption, because there is a group of people who feel it is their right, their exclusive right, to have access to Pharmaceutical money,”
“It cannot be the Zambian govt through the minsitry of PS waku Ministry of Health eule panga ama phone calls, Ale panga ama deals nama independent pharmaceutical companies ku India. Through, the zambia- Asian drug cartel, that is here in Zambia. And I will name them,I will tell you who they are in a moment.”
Magwende claims that the words in their natural meaning meant that he was corrupt as he was paid monies to procure substandard drugs.
And further meant that the ex-PS abused his authority of office when he purportedly colluded with other named individuals and orchestrated the alleged procurement and supply of substandard drugs, at the expense of the Zambian people.
Magwende said the defamatory publications also meant that he was part of the said drug cartel.
“The plaintiff will show at trial that the forecited disparaging publications were a misrepresention of the plaintiff’s professional standing and misappropriation of facts, which publications were unfounded and maliciously made by the defendant,devoid of any merit, substance nor truth and therefore defamatory in nature,” he contended.
The plaintiff is therefore seeking an injunction to prevent Chitambala or his agents from further publishing defamtory statements.
Magwende is demanding damages on the grounds of aggravated or exemplary damages for libel for the defamatory publication.
He also asked the Court to compel Chitambala to pull down the defamtory video from both his YouTube and Facebook.
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