Claim
On 9th September 2021, Patriotic Front online media published an article on their Facebook page claiming that Deputy Inspector General of police Mr. Fanwell Siandenge has pending criminal charges. The article quotes Mr. Sean Tembo, an opposition figure who contested for President on 12th August 2021, claiming that there was no court record of charges being dismissed or dropped by the State hence his concern as to why the President of Zambia , Mr. Hakainde Hichilema appointed Mr. Siandenge as Deputy Inspector General of Police.
Rating Justification
The fact checking process has determined as false the claim that the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Fanwell Siandenge has pending criminal charges. According to the 2016 police statement that was issued by Police Spokesperson, Esther Katongo, Mr. Siandenge, an ex-Police Commissioner for Western Province, was on a wanted list after the 2016 General Elections on allegations of aggravated robbery. He was reported to have been with Mr. Obvious Mwaliteta when they intercepted a vehicle which they suspected had pre- marked ballot papers. On 19th May 2017, Lusaka High Court judge Mwape Bowa acquitted Mwaliteta and four others on charges of aggravated robbery. However, Mr. Siandenge, who was not trialed in the alleged aggravated robbery, was not among the four acquitted. In fact, while on a wanted list, he was never charged, nor arrested. The iVerify fact checking team spoke to the police to get their position on the status of the alleged outstanding charges against Mr. Siandenge. The Police affirmed that indeed there are no charges against Mr. Siandenge. The iVerify team further checked the Criminal Cases registry records at the Magistrate Court, and confirmed that the registry has no records of any case attached to Mr. Siandenge’s name. In addition, iVerify checked with the Prosecutor’s office, and confirmed that the office has no case record against Mr. Siandenge.
