By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
CHONGWE Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Masebo yesterday appeared in the Lusaka magistrates’ court where she pleaded not guilty to charges of an unauthorised procession and escaping from lawful custody.

. Masebo

Masebo and four others pleaded not guilty to the unauthorised procession  and were released on bail after Lusaka magistrate Lameck Mwale granted them bail of K10,000 each but in their own recognisance.
Masebo, who had spent a night at Lusaka Central Police, arrived at the court at 14:20 hours looking jovial as she waved at her supporters.
She appeared before principal magistrate Kenneth Mulife who allocated the matter to Mr Mwale.
Mr Mwale informed Masebo that she was facing two counts of unauthorised procession and escaping from lawful custody.
Mr Mwale further informed Masebo’s co-accused Benson Mbewe, Joyce Sakala, Emmanuel Chembo and ?Kenani Mabumba that they were charged with the unauthorised procession.
The five were alleged to have on September 15, 2015, taken part by marching from Nationalist Road traffic lights to Independence Avenue without a permit.
In the second count, Masebo was alleged to have on the same date, being a person in lawful custody at Woodlands Police Station, escaped from such custody.
They all told Mr Mwale that they understood the charge, but they were not guilty.
At this point, one of the defence lawyers Jack Mwiimbu applied for his clients to be granted bail, saying they were Zambians who are facing a misdemeanour offence which was bailable.
But the State objected for the five to be granted bail on grounds that they were likely to commit a similar offence and that Masebo was facing an offence of escaping from lawful custody which was an indication that she was a flight risk.
Mr Mwale, however, granted Masebo and four others bail, saying there was no evidence from the State showing that the accused persons would commit a similar offence.
He ordered Masebo, Mbewe, Sakala, Chembo and Mabumba to produce two working sureties each from established organisations within Lusaka in the like sum of K10,000 but in their own recognisance.
Earlier in the day, police fought running battles with suspected United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres after they stoned the officers demanding the release of Masebo who was detained at Lusaka Central Police.
The officers were prompted to fire tear gas canisters at the cadres who had camped outside the police while stoning and shouting “Sylvia achoke, achoke.”
The cadres scampered in all directions with some seeking refuge in the Levy Shopping Mall.
But the police fished out some of the cadres from the mall and dragged them to the police station.
Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed in an interview that seven cadres had been arrested and would be charged with conduct likely to breach the peace and malicious damage to property.