Africa-Press – Zambia. Shadreck Kasanda, one of the espionage suspects involved in the recent gold scam case, has alleged that he was abducted by officers from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC). He claims the officers demanded a significant sum of money from him, threatening him with aggravated robbery charges if he failed to comply.
Kasanda made these claims while testifying before Lusaka’s Chief Resident Magistrate Court, presided over by Davies Chibwili. According to his testimony, the DEC officers abducted him from the holding cell at the Lusaka Magistrate Court.
Initially, the officers allegedly demanded five million Kwacha from Kasanda, but later increased their demand to a staggering 10 million dollars. He further stated that they warned him that he and his co-accused would be imprisoned if he did not meet their demands.
Kasanda recounted that the DEC officers then drove him to a bank located in the Kabulonga area of Lusaka, where they instructed him to withdraw five million Kwacha.
Following this, he claims the officers transported him to DEC’s Command Centre, where they insisted on the 10 million-dollar demand. They allegedly hinted that his cooperation was necessary to avoid jail time for him and his co-defendants.
Prior to Kasanda’s testimony, DEC Senior Investigations Officer Lydia Chisanga failed to identify the DEC officers involved in the alleged abduction. Chisanga, who is responsible for overseeing the holding cell at the Lusaka Magistrate Court, was summoned to testify following a request from defense lawyers.
Chief Resident Magistrate Davies Chibwili has reserved a ruling on whether the actions of the DEC officers constitute contempt of court. The allegations have raised concerns and cast a spotlight on the conduct of law enforcement agencies in the ongoing gold scam case.
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