Emmanuel Banda denies the allegations of robbery [Emmanuel Banda\/Facebook]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A fugitive Zambian lawmaker with a bounty on his head has been arrested in Zimbabwe, Zambian authorities have said.<\/p>\n
Emmanuel “Jay Jay” Banda, who was facing robbery charges, is accused of having escaped from custody in August as he awaited to appear in court.<\/p>\n
He is said to have escaped through a window at Chipata Central Hospital in Eastern Province where he had been admitted following his arrest and was being guarded by police and prison officers.<\/p>\n
The police then issued a bounty of 2m Zambian kwacha ($72,000; \u00a357,000) for him.<\/p>\n
He denies the allegations of robbery.<\/p>\n
At a press conference on Wednesday, the Zambian minister for home affairs said the MP had been arrested earlier this week in Harare.<\/p>\n
Jack Mwiimbu said the MP was arrested by Zimbabwean police at a flat he had been renting and would remain there pending extradition formalities.<\/p>\n
He said the government was keen to know who had facilitated the MP’s escape as well as visits by his wife to Harare.<\/p>\n
He thanked the Zimbabwean authorities for their co-operation.<\/p>\n
The opposition PF party, led by former President Edgar Lungu, condemned what he called an “emerging and worrying scenario”.<\/p>\n
Banda, who has been an independent MP since 2021, was previously associated with Lungu, who lost the presidency to Hakainde Hichilema that year.<\/p>\n
The PF spokesman, Emmanuel Mwamba, said what was happening was “an abduction” adding that the government should follow “internationally prescribed extradition protocols”.<\/p>\n
“We are urging the Zambian government that they should not join other African countries that are known to go other jurisdictions and pick and extract a citizen they are looking for for committing crimes,” he told the BBC.<\/p>\n
The BBC has asked the Zambian government for a response.<\/p>\n
In May this year, Banda had been reported missing in unclear circumstances. He resurfaced a day later, saying that he had been abducted.<\/p>\n
At least three opposition politicians and a civil rights activists were arrested following the case.<\/p>\n
Two of those who were arrested – Edith Nawakwi, leader of the opposition Forum for Development and Democracy party, and civil rights activist Brebner Changala \u2013 accused the state of being behind the abductions.<\/p>\n
The home affairs ministry however denied the state\u2019s involvement in the matter.<\/p>\n
On social media there had been speculation that the abduction was staged, which was denied by Banda\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
Banda was later arrested in June this year and charged with the non-bailable offence of aggravated robbery relating to the theft of property worth 12,000 kwacha ($430; \u00a3340) in 2015.<\/p>\n
He faces additional charges of escaping from lawful custody.<\/p>\n
But Mr Mwamba told the BBC that the charges were “politically motivated”.<\/p>\n
“Hon Jay Jay Banda is one of those members of parliament who are close to the former president, who this government is pursuing relentlessly.”<\/p>\n
He said the case was from a decade ago and had been processed in court before, adding that the charges were meant to keep him from telling the truth about the abduction.<\/p>\n
He said that at the time of his alleged escape, he had been admitted to hospital, because of a medical condition following his abduction.<\/p>\n