Zambian immigration authorities on Friday blocked former president Rupiah Banda from leaving the country for the third time in nearly two months, sparking criticism from activists. Banda, who is fighting corruption charges, was stopped from boarding a flight to South Africa despite a High Court order releasing his passport.
"We did all the airport formalities but surprisingly an immigration officer came and said he had instructions from above not to allow president Banda to travel," his press aide Kennedy Limwanya told AFP. His planned trip has been marred by hiccups after a magistrate's court refused to return his passport, which he had to surrender after his re-arrest in April on corruption charges. The government Friday said it had slapped Banda with a formal travel ban.