THE Lusaka Magistrates Court yesterday heard that there is allegedly no evidence suggesting that former President Frederick Chiluba’s wife, Regina, received stolen State funds in her personal account.
Standing witness, Bank of Zambia manager for security, Moola Nayoto, told Principal Resident Magistrate, Charles Kafunda, that he did not have any evidence showing that Regina received stolen money through her personal account.
Mr Nayoto said although Regina’s account was active, he could not state that some of the money received was stolen.
This is in the case in which Regina is charged with six counts of failing to account for property believed to have been stolen or obtained unlawfully.
In the first count, she is alleged to have, between January 1997 and September 30, 2002, in Ndola, failed to account for possession of property on stand number NDO/14 purchased at US$80,000.
In the second count she faces a charge of failing to account for stand number KIT/643 bought at US$48,000 cash, using money suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
In the third count, she faces a charge of failing to account for stand number KIT/645 purchased at US$60,000 cash.
In the fourth count, she is alleged to have failed to account for a motor vehicle, an Isuzu KB registration number AAT 2603 suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
In the fifth count, she is alleged to have received from Dr Chiluba, a 61-inch Toshiba colour television set, serial number 69140018 model number PJ 98 B with knowledge that the same had been stolen.
In the sixth count, she faces a charge of failing to account for possession of K474 million cash suspected to have been stolen.
Mr Nayoto, who was being cross-examined by defence lawyer Robert Simeza, told the court that Regina did not personally own Lilo Investment Limited on stand number NDO 14 on President Avenue in Ndola.
He told the court that the title deed was in the company’s name and not Regina even if she was a director and shareholder in the same company.
Mr Nayoto said his investigations revealed that Lilo Investment bought the property from ADDO House through Barclays Bank.
He told the court that he was satisfied with the transactions of the property by the bank.
“I am aware of her involvement in Lilo Investment under which there was also Mimi’s Boutique and Beauty Parlour,†Mr Nayoto said.
He told the court that Regina had catering contracts with the Bank of Zambia, Zamtel, Zampost, Indeni, Contract Haulage and TAZAMA Pipeline, among other companies.
Mr Nayoto said several deposit slips revealed that Lilo Investment received payments for the catering services it offered to such companies.
“When I was investigating, I did not go to Contract Haulage because it was closed at the time. For TAZAMA, I did not go there because it was not in the period we were looking at,” he said.
Mr Nayoto said he had no idea how much Regina earned from TAZAMA Pipeline between 1994 and 1999 when she had the contract.
He told the court that Regina was free to use the money she earned from the services she offered in any way she wanted.
Mr Nayoto also told the court that he was aware of numerous importations of goods Regina made for her boutique and salon.
He, however, said he did not know how much turnover she was making from the boutique and salon because he had no records at the time of his investigations.
Mr Nayoto, however, told the court that he was not satisfied that the money Regina used to buy her properties came from her businesses because there were no financial statements to support the transactions.
He said he was only able to get one statement for 2000 without a list of buildings and that Regina told him that she only engaged the auditors for that year.
Mr Nayoto told the court that he wanted the financial statements for the entire years that Lilo Investment Limited was in business.
On the allegation that National Democratic Focus (NDF) president Ben Mwila gave Regina a loan to buy one of her properties, Mr Nayoto said to date he had never spoken to Mr Mwila to verify the claim.Trial Continues.
