By Chinoyi Chipulu
Jailed former Defence minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba’s lawyers, Charles Changano, has insisted that his client is alive and chatted with him on rumors that he had died on Tuesday.
This is contrary to Tonse alliance spokesperson Sean Tembo’s demand that if Mwamba was alive and okay, the state should put him on camera for the whole nation to see that he was well.
Speaking to Daily Revelation yesterday, Changano said the opposition political parties who were arguing about GBM’s health could contact his lawyers to get the correct position.
“The fact is by yesterday he was alive and I told him that according to the messages on social media, you are dead and he said I’m not dead but I’m still unwell. He told me that the day before yesterday (Monday) he wasn’t feeling well. So please that’s the thing but as of today, I have not gone there yet. But he’s unwell,” he said.
Changano said everyone was restricted from visiting Mwamba because he was still a convict.
“Because our client is a convict, we are also restricted, we have to identify ourselves when we go there. We cannot just go there, we need to see officers to allow us to see him. So the restriction has not started today,” he said.
Changano who confirmed that GBM was still alive, said he was alarmed with the rumors that were circulating on social hence he was forced to go and visit his client.
He said although he did not visit him yesterday (Wednesday), GBM was still alive and talked about the rumors that were making round on social media.
On Tuesday, after rumors spread on social media that Mwamba had died, Information and Media permanent secretary Thabo Kawana held a press briefing saying that GBM was well and in high spirits.
Kawana warned that authorities were strengthening cyber security laws to ensure that individuals spreading false information were held accountable.
But during at a briefing yesterday, Tembo said the state should present Mwamba on camera.
He said it was unbelievable for a person who was critically ill and needed to be evacuated to suddenly become fine.
“Because we know that his medical condition is something local medical experts have failed to address here and it’s something for a prolonged period, local medical experts have agreed that it can only be resolved if he received specialist medical treatment from outside the country,” he said. “How possible is it that the person who was critically ill not so long ago and needed to be evacuated by local medical experts suddenly became ok such that he was even smiling according to the Kawana.”
Tembo said from the time Mwamba was admitted, access to see him had been restricted.
“Additionally why not put him on camera so that we see him and he greets the nation. Why are they hiding him at a military hospital?” he said.
Tembo said the statement of GBM ‘s health was coming from a person who had a history of lying to the nation hence it was fair for people to doubt what they said.
Meanwhile, Changano said the state should have mercy on Mwamba and enter into a consent agreement with the lawyers so that he could go on bail bending appeal and go for treatment abroad.
He said looking at GBM’s condition, the state could give the consent agreement to the judges to allow him to be evacuated for medical treatment.
“What is important now is for the state, looking at how he is, could enter into a consent agreement with us on bail pending appeal, and then the judge will release him without looking at our security,” Changano said. “That’s my personal legal view. If the state can have mercy on GBM, then we can enter into consent agreement and give it to the judges, he can go on bail then we avoid the issue of security.”
