POLICE have formally charged Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Chairperson for Information and Publicity Emmanuel Mwamba and Andy Luchinde with two counts of forgery.
Mr Mwamba 52 and Mr Luchinde 29 are also charged with three counts of publication of information contrary to Section 54 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act Number 2 of 2021.
The two suspects have been released on police bond and will appear in court soon.
Zambia police Assistant Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi said in the first count of forgery it is alleged that Mr Mwamba while acting together with Mr Luchinde and other unknown persons, did forge a document namely ‘Presidential Directive Letter,’ purporting that the Republican President did direct the Director General of Zambia Security and Intelligence Services to contain the activities of Archbishop Alick Banda.
Mr Chilabi said this occurred on June 8, 2023 in Lusaka.
He said in second count it is alleged that on June 8, 2023 Mr Mwamba, jointly and while acting together with Mr Luchinde and other unknown persons, did forge a document namely ‘Request Letter,’ purporting that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Joseph Akafumba did request the Secretary to the Cabinet at the Cabinet Office to petition the Vatican through the Apostolic Nuncio in Lusaka regarding the activities of Archbishop Alick Banda.
Mr Chilabi said in the counts of publication of information contrary to Section 54 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021, it is alleged that on June 8, 2023, Mr Mwamba, jointly and while acting together with Mr Luchinde and other unknown persons, with intent to compromise the safety and security of the Republican President did publish a letter in the picture purporting to have been signed by the Republican President directing the Director General of the Zambia Security and Intelligence Service to contain the influence of Archbishop Alick Banda over the Roman Catholic Church on Government Institutions and other quasi-Government institutions using a computer system on the Facebook pages known as Patriotic Front (PF) and Grindstone Television Zambia.
In count two, it is alleged that on June 8, 2023, in Lusaka, Mr Mwamba, jointly and while acting together with Mr Luchinde and other unknown persons, with intent to compromise the safety and security of Mr Akafumba, did publish a request letter in the picture purporting that Mr Akafumba wrote a letter to the Secretary to the Cabinet requesting to petition the Vatican through the Apostolic Nuncio in Lusaka regarding the activities of Archbishop Alick Banda, using a computer system on the Facebook pages of the Patriotic Front (PF) and Grindstone Television Zambia.
In count three it is alleged that Mr Mwamba, on June 8, 2023, in Lusaka District, jointly and while acting together with Mr Luchinde and other unknown persons, with intent to compromise the safety and security of Batuke Imenda, Norman Chipakupaku, Wallace Chakawa and Clayson Hamasaka, did publish an email printout purporting that Mr Chakawa, Private Secretary-State House, wrote and sent an email to Mr Hamasaka which was forwarded to Mr Imenda and Mr Chipakupaku directing him to isolate Archbishop Alick Banda and Emeritus Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu with his organisation called Our Civic Duty Association (OCiDA) and other unknown Catholic church priests using a computer system on the Facebook pages known as Patriotic front (PF) and the Grindstone Television Zambia.
(Mwebantu, Saturday, 17th June, 2023)