FINDLAY HELD IN ‘ILLEGAL’ PRISON FACILITY
…High Court hears detained businessman is being kept at an ungazetted place inside Mwembeshi Correctional Facility
By Mast Reporter
THE Lusaka High Court has heard that detained prominent Lusaka businessman Harry Valden Findlay is being held at a place at Mwembeshi Correctional Female Facility that is not gazetted.
This came to light on Tuesday when lawyers representing Findlay sought to know where he was being held, during the hearing of a habeas corpus application.
“The starting point is that Harry Valden Findlay was picked up on the 4th of August, 2026, at his ranch in Katuba. He was taken to Twin Palm Police Station, where he was detained on a holding charge of conspiracy to commit a felony. And then he, on the 9th of August, was picked up from Ibex, taken to an unknown location where the family has not been able to access him, the relatives have not been able to access him, lawyers have not been able to access him,” lawyer Milner Katolo told The Mast after the case was heard in chambers.
He said Findlay was moved to an unknown place without a warrant from court and deposited in an ungazetted place.
Katolo said the prolonged detention of Findlay had prompted the family to seek habeas corpus to compel the State to bring him before court.
“That’s what prompted us to make an application for habeas corpus that his body is brought to court to determine the validity of the detention. Yesterday [Tuesday], we appeared before court and there was an undertaking that he would be brought to court today [Yesterday] and Findlay is not before court,” he said.
Katolo said the Attorney General was directed to order the arresting officer to come to court and explain why Findlay was not before the court.
“The lawyer from the Attorney General says he has not been able to secure his bringing to court because the police are insisting that they want a warrant of removal. The court has indicated that it issued a writ of habeas corpus, which clearly orders the bringing of the detainee to court. And it clearly shows here that the police are not willing and ready to obey that order,” he said.
Katolo said when the arresting officer appeared later in court, he was ordered to bring Findlay to court today.
“The status quo is that the arresting officer was brought in to explain why Valden Findlay has not been brought to court in accordance with the writ of habeas corpus that was issued by the court. So, his explanation was that there was a misunderstanding; they thought that they needed a removal warrant, which was demanded by the prison authorities at Mwembeshi,” he said.
He said the warrant, the writ of habeas corpus that was signed, was to allow the removal of Findlay from detention.
“So, he must bring the body of Valden Findlay to court. It has been agreed that that will happen tomorrow [Today] at 10 hours and then the matter can proceed. 10:00 hours tomorrow, the matter is coming up, he must have Valden Findlay brought to court and then all the issues about his arrest and warrant can be dealt with,” he said.
The State has not allowed Findlay’s family and lawyers to visit him since he was moved to Mweembeshi Prison.
