Lifestyle centre sues Attorney General, police officers over alleged harassment

A massage centre based in Makeni has taken legal action against the Attorney General and four individuals, including two police officers, seeking K400,000 in compensation for alleged unlawful interference with its business operations.

Lahema Massage Centre Limited, together with its shareholder Lawrence Mwape, has filed a civil claim before the Lusaka High Court.

The plaintiffs accuse the defendants of conducting illegal searches, seizing property without cause, and intimidating staff and management.

The lawsuit names Ronald Kabaso, an officer with the Office of the President (O.P) based at the Head Office; Soviet Musanje, a police officer based at Chawama Police Station; Matildah Mubita and Katongo Mumba, both residents of John Laing Compound; and the Attorney General as the first through fifth defendants, respectively.

According to the statement of claim, the incident occurred in January 2025 when Kabaso and Musanje allegedly entered the massage centre’s premises and conducted a search without a warrant or legal justification.

During the operation, the officers reportedly confiscated several items, including an Infinix phone worth K3,800, three other phones valued at K14,400, a generator battery worth K2,050, and various business certificates such as a health certificate, fire certificate, business levy certificate, and company registration documents.

The plaintiffs further claim that on April 7, 2025, the same defendants returned to the premises and pointed a firearm at one of the clients, identified as a Chinese national, while conducting what the plaintiffs described as another unlawful search.

Mwape stated that he received a call around 19:00 hours from employees on duty, who reported that armed individuals, allegedly police officers, were at the premises detaining staff and conducting searches.

The suit also alleges that the defendants engaged in blackmail and issued threats, including one by Kabaso, who allegedly warned Mwape of possible repercussions at the Zambia Open University, where Mwape is a student, if he failed to comply with monetary demands.

The plaintiffs claim to have suffered reputational damage, loss of business, emotional distress, and operational inconvenience.

They are seeking restitution of the seized items, K400,000 in damages, and an injunction to prevent further interference by the defendants.

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