Thursday, March 28, 2024

Police charge Liato over K2.1bn

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Former Labour Minister Austin Liato

POLICE in Lusaka have charged and arrested former Labour Minister, Austin Liato, for receiving stolen property.

Mr Liato, who has remained in police custody since Tuesday after turning himself in, will appear in court today. Investigative wings had no knowledge of Mr Liato’s whereabouts since last week when a combined team of officers from the Zambia Police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) unearthed K2.1 billion cash from his farm in Mwembeshi area.

Zambia Police Service spokesperson, Elizabeth Kanjela, confirmed Mr Liato’s arrest in an interview yesterday, saying the charge on the former minister was in accordance with provisions of Section 318 (1) of the Penal Code of the Laws of Zambia.

“Yes the former minister who was detained at Woodlands Police last night, was this afternoon officially arrested and charged with receiving stolen property which is contrary to Section 318 (1) of the Penal Code of the Laws of Zambia. He is expected to appear in court tomorrow,” said Ms Kanjela.

Security wings have been carrying out investigations, including interviewing a number of people, since the discovery of the money which was stashed underground.

Mr Liato was driven to his house in Kalundu soon after reporting at the Task Force offices on Tuesday where officers searched the premises for more than two hours.

The party later drove to Lusaka’s Woodlands Police Station where Mr Liato was detained awaiting charges. On Tuesday, Ms Kanjela had indicated that Mr Liato would only be charged and arrested after further investigations and once it had been established that there was reason for the police to do so.

Mr Liato, who has since been disowned and suspended as national executive committee member by his party, the MMD, arrived at the Task Force offices in the company of his lawyer, Nellie Mutti, Joseph Mulyata, family members and friends.

On Friday last week, a combined team from the Zambia Police Service, ACC and DEC raided Mr Liato’s farm at number 44, Mpampa Settlement Scheme in Mwembeshi area where they conducted an operation and dug out K2.1 billion cash.

[Times of Zambia]

61 COMMENTS

  1. These are cases which should be dealt with quickly. We want him to spend Christmas in jail! Please fast track this case.

    Where is Dora, Aussie Engineer, Bootfimofimo and Capitalist mwebantu?

  2. @#5 Analyst. Liato we tell us where he got it from. Then there will be a spiral! Could well be RB and Dora!

  3. But said he was in hiding, meanwhile they had not even searched all the possible places, police please do not alarm the nation. Do your work professionally though we know you are the most corrupt group (Traffic). Now was it 2.1 billion or it was more we will never know.

  4. Apparently the two cars that were locked inside walls are also stolen property, they are part of hundreds of cars the MMD bought using tax payers’ money and shared them among themselves soon after losing the last polls. With Liato and his Mulyata, they should also be probed for forcing the adoption of an Angolan mbunda national on the MMD MP in Mangango. These chaps were going to use this money to start war in the West, investigation and interrogation units must squeez Mulyata and Liato’s bollocks until they “talk”.

  5. which stollen property is this? Police lady be straight in your report, IS the Money in question what you call Stollen property? what are you Hiding , tell the nation the Trueth. You reporters too, dont write in parables, which stollen property is this????? Off-course the MONEY.

  6. So Liato did not steal! Then tell us who stole and were was the money stolen , the arrest the same. Has anyone or an institution come forth and complained that such an amount was stolen? Did Liato tell the police who gave him the stolen money for keeps? Zambia Police , i can see a lost case here.

  7. Ba Zioneke, dont forget money laundering is an offence. How is he going to explain having 2.1billion when his total income per year is less than this amount. Also tax evasion is an offence. Has he paid any tax on this money? Which ever way you look at it the only this will end is Jail

  8. Receiving stolen goods my ass! He should be charged with money laundering, the fool and to think this guy was in the labor movement…..oh wait even which was in the labour movement! Thieves

  9. who is the complainant ,since it stolen property.You mean the one the stole from did not know that they have stolen that much from him/she.And we demand to know this BIG THIEF to whom LIATO provided his underground banking services.

  10. mmm…. abena Liato tomorrow abscond court, Bush will be in the country…he might end up taking you to Guatanamo Bay… mmm mudala naikusa league

  11. time to mobilize and raid HH next, the GBM, then the Indians and finally the chinese. This is just the tip of the ice berg

  12. This case is not going anywhere, it is a lost case even before it takes off. For starters the police have slapped soft charges on the man, shame!

  13. Ba lady gaga, i have not forgotten that money laundering is an offence, tax evasion and keeping that amount of money in some concrete hole at some farm are all offences. However for now our Zambia Plice Service has charged Liato for RECEIVING STOLEN PROPERTY and not any other offences. So to say he will end in jail for now over such a charge, i doubt! I hope our ZPS will do a good job and slap him with more charges after a proper investigation and bring in those that stole the same “property” (and not money as reported). Keep bloging lady gaga

  14. Jesus some people on here are really dim. He will have to explain where he got the cash from. If he doesn`t then he is in more sh!t!

  15. Liato is one of the many greedy politicians we have in Zambia, especially the Bembas. Liato should now be bold enough and list down all those individuals who have stolen with him, and those ones who are still stealing our money.

  16. Liato did not steal then where did he got that money from?ba police ba mu zambia bena ni katwishi,even that lady is misinforming us by saying Liato has not yet found with a case while the money was from his farm.

  17. Ifwe lilya tulefwaya umuzulu ubwaila no bwaca, bamo elo baleshika ati shikamene. Wht type of fertilizer does someone need to apply for him to get the maximum yield, mwebacita ifyabuli? It’s now ‘EMU TI ENI , EVERYWHERE YOU DID’.

  18. I tell you Liato was just given to hide that money by ba fimo fimo.Liato salapuka ukushishita icilufumo you will be in for it,remember what happened to SAKALA he was locked up alone kakafupi tondolo.ba Chungu locked up kafupi tondolo,katele locked up kafupi ziiiiii,until kafwilamo.zalenifye ifintu nafibipa you never know what cobra is thinking.haaaaaaaa!

  19. The Charge “…receiving stolen property…” My questions: (1) Receiving from who? (2) Stolen from where and by who? (3) Is there a proven and reported case of theft or loss of K2.1billion by anyone? (4) Is there proof that it was actually Liato that RECEIVED? (5) And is it obvious that “stolen property is means K2.1Billion?It seems this guy has a good lawyer who has made it difficulty for law enforcement agencies to formulate charges that can increminate Liato.

  20. Police had to find a charge just to keep him in custody while investigations are going on. We just hope some more charges will come up after all the investigations. Otherwise, its against the law to keep someone in custody for more than 48 hours without a charge.

  21. They should dig at RB’s farm also, remember Doller Sillit was going round the country with the same Mr Awful Litako as Kalaki puts it. Am sure RB n Sons, plus Silit pinched the Moola and gave it to the man from the west to conceal.

    • Liato ,whats your problem.People are suffering in our beloved MOTHER ZAMBIA.Honourable, you are are disgrace.Which Chich Curch do you go to?Where u Sowing a seed?Our Pipo are dying in hospitals and you bury the money;whats your problem?Careful.You are ver Liato ,whats your problem.People are suffering in our beloved MOTHER ZAMBIA.Honourable, you are are disgrace.Which Chich Curch do you go to?Where u Sowing a seed?Our Pipo are dying in hospitals and you bury the money;whats your problem?Careful.You are ver

      Hon. How can you do that when the County is poor?Where you planting a seed?
      You are a gentleman I salute you,May GOD,THE AMIGHTY,JEHOVAH.deal with you mercilessly.That k2.1B Can do a lot for Zambia.Same on you,you are a disgarace to our country.You explain to the Zambian wer you got that money.We are not at all.

    • Liato ,whats your problem.People are suffering in our beloved MOTHER ZAMBIA.Honourable, you are are disgrace.Which Chich Curch do you go to?Where u Sowing a seed?Our Pipo are dying in hospitals and you bury the money;whats your problem?Careful.You are ver Liato ,whats your problem.People are suffering in our beloved MOTHER ZAMBIA.Honourable, you are are disgrace.Which Chich Curch do you go to?Where u Sowing a seed?Our Pipo are dying in hospitals and you bury the money;whats your problem?Careful.You are ver

      Hon. How can you do that when the County is poor?Where you planting a seed?
      You are a gentleman I salute you,May GOD,THE ALMIGHTY,JEHOVAH.deal with you mercilessly.That k2.1B Can do a lot for Zambia.Same on you,you are a disgrace to our country.You explain to the Zambian we you got that money.We are not at all.

  22. The police are just buying time to keep him in custody. In short they are so dull they dont know what to do with the 2.1Bn issue. do u expect these grade 7s to have a sharp mind? even those at DEC AND ACC are just the same! this guy will walk, jus like katele, chiluba, shansonga, xavier etc………..

  23. Something tells me the charge is not well founded and a means to prosecute someone without a full and thorough investigation. The problem with this is that this man may “walk” and the real truth will never be known.

  24. If we had investigative journalists in Zambia, by now we would have a bit more information on this case. For example, someone would have told us how long the money has been buried by examining the “grave”…. By the way, Is it O.K. for police to just show up at my property and start digging up my backyard when I am not even there?

  25. ..pipo of Zambia do you remember the late Teddy Chilambe.s song-TOSHA/ im sure some of the money shili mu chilufumo.TOSHA falanga brother Liato.

    • shame shame shame and my late father a freedom fighter died with nothing to show.Detained without trial for 2 and a half years compensated K50 000 000.that he didnt live to see. What a shame!!

  26. ubu puba, bushe pa stango nga bakusanga nomulandu uyu ni 2 days shut case na bonse involved mu jele! He is being given play squeeze the bugger ba kabolala! Labour minister hmm chief of selling his people out if he got 2.1bn wonder how much Dora and RB got.

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