By 
Magistrate Kawama Mwamfuli has summoned a police officer to appear in court on Wednesday to explain his failure to execute a bench warrant issued against prominent blogger, Mwewa Chitambala, popularly known as Simon Mwewa.
The warrant was issued after Chitambala, a state witness in a case involving former Roan Member of Parliament, Chishimba Kambwili, failed to appear in court on two occasions.
Kambwili is facing charges of unlawful assembly.
At an earlier hearing, police officer Michael Matafwali, based at Police Headquarters, informed the court that efforts to apprehend Chitambala at Simoson Building were unsuccessful, and that attempts to reach him by phone had also failed.
When the case resumed on Tuesday, both Chitambala and Matafwali were absent.
Read more: Social media blogger Chitambala gets bail, appeals against conviction
State prosecutor, Lewis Loti, told the court that Matafwali had traveled to Solwezi but noted that Chitambala’s legal counsel had assured the officer that the blogger would appear in court on Tuesday, which did not happen.
Defence lawyer, Kennedy Mambwe, accused the state of negligence, arguing that failure to apprehend Chitambala, a public figure active on Facebook, undermined the court’s authority.
Mambwe criticized the reliance on external communication rather than enforcing the warrant directly.
Magistrate Mwamfuli ruled that Matafwali must appear in court on Wednesday to provide an explanation, denying the defence’s request to excuse the officer.
“He must come and explain to the court tomorrow,” the magistrate directed.
Kambwili is charged with unlawful assembly, an offence allegedly committed on January 26, 2023, in Lusaka. He was initially charged alongside businessman Charles Kakula, who faced accusations of expressing or showing hatred or contempt based on race.
However, Kakula was discharged of his charges in May, 2024.
The case has been adjourned to Wednesday at 10:30 hours.
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