HARARE – A fugitive Zambian lawmaker with a US$72,000 bounty on his head has been arrested in Zimbabwe, Zambia’s home affairs minister announced on Wednesday.
Emmanuel Jay Banda escaped from Chipata General Hospital in Lusaka in August where he had been admitted following his arrest on charges of aggravated robbery and attempted murder.
Zambian police subsequently offered a reward of Kwacha 2 million (about US$72,000) for information leading to his arrest.
At a press briefing in Lusaka on Wednesday, Zambia’s home affairs Jack Mwiimbu said the MP for Petauke Central in the east of the country was arrested by Zimbabwean police in Harare on Tuesday this week. He was renting a flat.
Banda will remain in Harare as extradition formalities are completed, Mwiimbu said.
A new charge of escaping from lawful custody has been added to his alleged crimes.
Banda was being held without bail when he escaped shortly after 10PM on August 4, allegedly through a third floor window at the hospital. He was guarded by two police officers and three prison officers.
The charges against the MP relate to a December 14, 2015, incident at Mzigawa Primary School in the district of Vubwi, east of the country, where property worth Kwacha 12,000 (about $435) was stolen.
The items were listed in court documents as a Canon camera valued at K10,000, spectacles worth K1,800, two bank cards and K200 in cash.
The victim of the alleged robbery is one Peter Sukwa Muchelenga.
Banda was initially arrested in June this year.
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