Zambia’s opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile, his running mate Makebi Zulu and 16 others have been charged over an alleged plot to overthrow the Zambian government.
Zambia Police Service spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi confirmed that the 18 suspects were formally charged on Saturday.
“I can confirm that they were officially charged yesterday (Saturday), but we will issue an official statement tomorrow (today). The total [number of those charged is 18],” Chilabi said.
Mundubile, who contested the August 13 presidential election on the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) ticket, was arrested on Thursday after going into hiding following a police raid in Kabulonga, Lusaka.
He had disputed the election results, which saw incumbent President Hakainde Hichilema secure a second term with 60 percent of the vote, against Mundubile’s 38 percent, according to official results.
A day after the results were announced, security personnel raided a property in Kabulonga linked to Mundubile, where several suspects were arrested.
Police said firearms, ammunition and tactical gear allegedly linked to an armed insurrection were recovered from the property.
Following the raid, Mundubile and Zulu sought refuge at a United Nations building in Lusaka.
The two were later handed over to their lawyers by the UN, in conjunction with church mother bodies, before police picked them up for questioning.
The alleged plot has resulted in the 18 suspects being charged with treason, a non-bailable offence whose trial is heard by the High Court.
Other suspects jointly charged with Mundubile and Zulu include Trevor Mwamba, lawyer George Chisanga, Patrick Mwansa, Jackson Mutyoka, Brazil Soko, Bernard Chewe, Simon Phiri, Richard Banda, Francis Mulenga, Emmanuel Mulenga and Darius Mwila.
