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The wait continues for Patriotic Front (PF) faction Secretary General, Raphael Nakacinda, who will know on August 10 whether he has a case to answer in his trial on a charge of seditious practices.
Nakacinda is accused of issuing a statement published in the Daily Nation newspaper alleging that the United Party for National Development (UPND) had distributed pre-marked ballot papers during the 2022 parliamentary by-elections.
He denied the charge. Nakacinda is currently serving a prison sentence in a separate matter.
Lusaka Magistrate Mbuywana Sinvula set August 10 as the date for ruling after the prosecution closed its case on Friday.
Closing the State’s case, Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Director of Electoral Operations, Royd Katongo, testified that the Commission was prompted to act after a newspaper article alleged that the ruling party had dispatched vehicles carrying pre-marked ballot papers to areas where by-elections were being held.
Katongo said the Commission regarded the allegations as serious and invited Nakacinda to appear before it and provide evidence to support the claims.
He told the court that Nakacinda did not honour the invitation, prompting the Commission to refer the matter to the Zambia Police Service for investigations under the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Read More: PF’s Nakacinda arrested for alleged seditious statements
During cross-examination, Katongo acknowledged that he was unaware of the specific charge before the court and agreed that a person could not reasonably be expected to comply with a summons they had not personally received.
He also confirmed that the invitation had been delivered to the PF Secretariat rather than directly to Nakacinda.
Following Katongo’s testimony, the prosecution closed its case, after which Magistrate Sinvula reserved ruling to determine whether the State had established a prima facie case requiring Nakacinda to enter his defence.
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