The atmosphere in court was somber yesterday during the hearing of the murder case involving the late Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) director general, Guntila Muleya.
Relatives of Mr. Muleya, including his mother Lucy, broke down in tears as the magistrate read the murder charges against the four suspects accused of fatally shooting Mr. Muleya.
The case involves two police officers, an accountant, and a systems engineer, all accused of killing Mr. Muleya, 44, in July of this year.
The police officers are Mtusani Baza, 29, from the Civic Centre area, and Caleb Zulu, 30, from Libala. The systems engineer is Samuel Baza, 37, from Chainda Township, while the fourth suspect is Francis Chipyoka, 42, an IBA accountant from Foxdale.
All four are charged with murder, a non-bailable offense.
Mr. Muleya was found dead with two gunshot wounds in Lusaka’s Njolwe area.
During their initial court appearance, Lusaka Magistrate Mutinta Mwenya noticed that the indictment lacked the date of the alleged murder, leading to an adjournment to allow the State to amend the charge.
When the case resumed yesterday, the murder charge was read to the accused. They were informed that the case is beyond the magistrate’s jurisdiction and will be tried by the High Court.
Magistrate Mwenya inquired about the certificate of committal to the High Court, but Principal State Advocate Frank Sikazwe stated it was not yet ready, although it should be available in two weeks.
Defense lawyer Osbourne Ngoma expressed sympathy but noted that the certificate should have been prepared given the time since the arrests.
The case was adjourned to October 7, when the accused are expected to be committed to the High Court for trial.
Other defense lawyers include Friday Mulenga Jr, Chawezi Ngoma, and Mpwani Musukwa.
Source: Mwebantu
