KELVIN PHIRI NARRATES HOW THE STATE COERCED HIM TO RESTART JAY JAY BANDA CASE
KELVIN PHIRI NARRATES HOW THE STATE COERCED HIM TO RESTART JAY JAY BANDA CASE
….but he refused that he already forgave him for the offense that happened 9 years ago
Petauke…. Friday January 24, 2025
Socialist Party (SP) Member of the Central Committee Kelvin Phiri, who was supposed to be the main complainant in the Emmanuel Jay Banda aggr@vated r0bbery case, says he received a lot of phone calls as the State wanted to restart the matter.
Mr Phiri has narrated how senior government officials were calling him to restart the case but declined saying he already forgave the then Petauke Central Member of Parliament Hon Emmanuel Jay Jay Banda.
He wondered the State’s interest in the matter which happened nine (9) years ago and he had already forgotten about the issue.
He said this when he, SP President Dr Fred M’membe and the party candidate JULIUS MWALE featured on Pasme Radio Station in Petauke, ahead of the constituency by-election slated for 6th February, 2025.
“This case they restarted, I was directly involved. All this happened in 2015 (in Vubwi), it’s an old case. When you critically look at this matter, there are a lot of lies tied to it. I received a lot of phone calls from well known officials (in this government) whose names I can’t mention here urging me to restart the same case. But I told them that after all these years you want me to restart this case? What is your interest? Even if it means appealing against the case, it’s the complainant and not the officials who should do that,” he said.
“I asked them, if my brother Jay Jay was not an elected Member of Parliament, would you still pursue this case with the same zeal and energy? I told them that I forgave Jay Jay Banda a long time ago and further asked them why they were concerned and wanted to refresh the case. They failed to answer my questions.”
He said they (government officials) arranged transport for him from Chipata to Lusaka to meet them face to face unlike previously where they phoned him.
“Even then, I asked them… Why are you concerned when I was the one who was offended by my brother Jay Jay Banda and I already forgave him? If I take my brother to court or jail, what will it benefit me? So I told them to contact my Lawyer Dr Fred M’membe but they said Dr M’membe is a leader of a political party and not a lawyer to represent me,” he said.
Prior to the 2016 general elections, journalist Peter Sukwa and Kelvin Phiri from then Feel Free Radio were allegedly attacked by Hon Banda while on an assignment in Vubwi district.
