A fugitive Zambian lawmaker with a bounty on his head has been arrested in Zimbabwe, Zambian government have stated.
Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who used to be dealing with theft fees, is accused of getting escaped from custody in August as he awaited to seem in court docket.
He’s stated to have escaped via a window at Chipata Central Health facility in Japanese Province the place he have been admitted following his arrest and used to be being guarded by means of police and jail officials.
The police then issued a bounty of 2m Zambian kwacha ($72,000; £57,000) for him.
He denies the allegations of theft.
At a press convention on Wednesday, the Zambian minister for house affairs stated the MP have been arrested previous this week in Harare.
Jack Mwiimbu stated the MP used to be arrested by means of Zimbabwean police at a flat he have been renting and would stay there pending extradition formalities.
He stated the federal government used to be prepared to grasp who had facilitated the MP’s get away in addition to visits by means of his spouse to Harare.
He thanked the Zimbabwean government for his or her co-operation.
The opposition PF birthday party, led by means of former President Edgar Lungu, condemned what he referred to as an “rising and being worried state of affairs”.
Banda, who has been an impartial MP since 2021, used to be in the past related to Lungu, who misplaced the presidency to Hakainde Hichilema that 12 months.
The PF spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, stated what used to be going down used to be “an abduction” including that the federal government will have to practice “the world over prescribed extradition protocols”.
“We’re urging the Zambian executive that they will have to now not sign up for different African nations which can be recognized to head different jurisdictions and select and extract a citizen they’re in search of for committing crimes,” he informed the BBC.
The BBC has requested the Zambian executive for a reaction.
In Might this 12 months, Banda have been reported lacking in unclear instances. He resurfaced an afternoon later, announcing that he have been kidnapped.
A minimum of 3 opposition politicians and a civil rights activists have been arrested following the case.
Two of those that have been arrested – Edith Nawakwi, chief of the opposition Discussion board for Construction and Democracy birthday party, and civil rights activist Brebner Changala – accused the state of being in the back of the abductions.
The house affairs ministry alternatively denied the state’s involvement within the topic.
On social media there have been hypothesis that the kidnapping used to be staged, which used to be denied by means of Banda’s circle of relatives.
Banda used to be later arrested in June this 12 months and charged with the non-bailable offence of annoyed theft in terms of the robbery of assets price 12,000 kwacha ($430; £340) in 2015.
He faces further fees of escaping from lawful custody.
However Mr Mwamba informed the BBC that the costs have been “politically motivated”.
“Hon Jay Jay Banda is a type of individuals of parliament who’re on the subject of the previous president, who this executive is pursuing relentlessly.”
He stated the case used to be from a decade in the past and have been processed in court docket prior to, including that the costs have been supposed to stay him from telling the reality concerning the abduction.
He stated that on the time of his alleged get away, he have been admitted to clinic, on account of a scientific situation following his abduction.
