Wife of late Agric ministry official pleads not guilty to murder as trial opens amid torture, rape allegations against police

In the quiet early hours of August 23, 2024, tragedy struck a Chilanga household when Dr. Francisco Miti, a respected former Ministry of Agriculture official, was found dead following a reported violent break-in.

Nearly a year later, the woman he once called his wife stood in the dock of the Lusaka High Court, accused of ending his life.

On Monday morning, Meya Masumba Miti, 55, appeared before Judge Situmbeko Chocho and firmly pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder.

Read more: State responds to murder accused, Miti’s allegations of rape, says she attempted suicide in police custody

Standing beside her was Florence Banda, 43, who also denied any involvement in Dr. Miti’s death.

The two women are jointly charged with the alleged killing of Dr. Miti at the couple’s home in Chilanga.

Dressed in a simple chitenge, Meya stood composed as the charges were read out.

The courtroom sat in tense silence. The matter was adjourned to July 16 at 09:00 hours for commencement of trial.

However, even before she could plead her innocence in court, Meya had already made disturbing headlines—this time with shocking allegations against the very officers who arrested her.

In a chilling affidavit filed in the Lusaka High Court in May, Meya claimed she was sexually assaulted by a police officer while handcuffed in the dead of night along a bushy stretch of road near Chilanga Cement.

According to her, one officer raped her while another waited in the police vehicle.

She further alleged she was tortured by her arresting officer and seven other male officers, sustaining injuries that left scars on her arms and legs—marks she says remain visible nearly a year later.

Meya insists she loved her husband and that his death devastated her.

But days after his burial, she says, two of his sisters accused her of orchestrating his murder. Soon after, she was arrested and kept in custody for months without a formal charge or court appearance.

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