Ndola High Court Acquits Four Mufulira Anti-Robbery Officers in Simbeye Murder Case

The Ndola High court has acquitted four anti robbery police officers from Mufulira central police station who were accused of killing a fellow anti robbery officer.

The four officers, detective sergeant Jameson Lund Lubaya, Detective Sergeant, Waluka Walace Chilombe, Detective Sergeant Ben Siakalundu and Detective Sergeant Marvin Manda were accused of killing Nason Simbeye,a police officer who was found dead in his house with bullet wounds and an AK 47 rifle in his hand on 23rd October 2020 at Sikalangwe police camp in Mufulira district.

The four officers were arrested and charged with murder following an inquest into constable Simbeye’s death in the Mufulira Magistrate’s court that ruled that the police officer did not die of suicide but was murdered.

But following trial for murder in the Ndola high court, High Court Judge Dr.Winnie Mwenda found the four officers innocent of the charge, citing insufficient evidence that linked them to the crime.

In her judgment, Dr.Mwenda stated that while it was clear that Nason Simbeye was murdered, the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was the four officers who killed him.

Dr. Mwenda noted that no finger prints were taken by police at the crime scene, which weakened the prosecution’s evidence.

She added that no witness had seen the the officers enter the decased’s house prior to the body being discovered.

Dr.Mwenda stated that the prosecution had also failed to present proof of the call between detective Seargent Luundu and a taxi driver were the officer was alleged to have mentioned that Simbeye had committed suicide before the body was discovered.

She stated that the evidence presented by the prosecution was circumstancial and witnesses presented before the court relied on hearsay as no recordings and call logs linking the officers to the crime were presented.

Dr.Mwenda stated that the burden of proof lies on the prosecution adding that it had failed failed to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt that the four officers killed Simbeye hence acquitted all four of the charge.

Courtesy of ZANIS