ZAMBIA is making efforts to deny bail to five Egyptians and six Zambians who have been charged with espionage after allegedly entering a restricted zone at Lusaka airport. The charges come two weeks after Zambian authorities reported that their plane had been seized, accompanied by the discovery of guns, bullets, cash, and suspected counterfeit gold.
The case unfolded in a magistrates court in the capital, Lusaka, where the men were formally charged on Monday. However, Magistrate Davies Chibwili postponed their bail application to the following day following a move by the defence to contest the prosecutor’s certificate that denied bail to the accused.
Defence lawyer Martha Mushipe stated during the court proceedings, ‘The state must give reasons as to why accused persons whose liberties to freedom are being taken away must be denied bail.’
The charge sheet did not explicitly mention the aircraft or the confiscated items. Nonetheless, legal representatives for the defendants released a statement asserting that the individuals were aboard a plane that was subjected to a search by Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Agency on August 13 at Lusaka’s primary airport.
According to the agency’s findings, the searched plane yielded approximately $5.7 million in cash, five pistols, 126 rounds of ammunition, and around 127 kilograms of suspected gold, which amounted to 602 pieces. The aircraft had originated from Cairo.
However, further developments cast uncertainty on the nature of the seized items. Zambia’s Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe revealed that subsequent laboratory analysis indicated that the apprehended metal bars, initially suspected to be gold, were primarily composed of copper and zinc, despite their initial appearance.
This revelation prompted speculation within Zambian media, suggesting a potential connection to a scheme involving fake bullion. The implication was that some of the arrested suspects might have been involved in an attempt to defraud gold buyers through deceptive means.
Adding to the complexity of the case, two Egyptian security sources disclosed that the plane seized in Zambia had undergone inspection by authorities before departing from Cairo. However, an investigation is currently underway concerning bags belonging to one of the arrested Egyptians, which were not subjected to search procedures.
In a separate development, Egypt’s journalists syndicate reported on August 20 that Egyptian security forces had reportedly assaulted an Egyptian journalist who had published a report about the Zambia-bound plane on the online investigative platform Matsada2sh, which translates to Don’t Believe It in Arabic.
As the legal proceedings unfold and further investigations are conducted, the case underscores the intricacies of international incidents involving espionage allegations and complex cross-border investigations.