The Lusaka Magistrate court was today packed with heavy presence of police as trunks and money were taken to court for identification in the case involving former Labour Minister Austin Laito.
Mr. Liato who had his indictment substituted yesterday is charged with possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Before Magistrate Aridah Chulu was Paul Kayando, a witness, who identified the trunks and two safes where the money was being kept.
Kayando, a former worker at Mr. Austin Liato’s farm in Mwembeshi identified the items in question following an application by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mutembo Nchito.
Kayando testified that he and his colleagues witnessed the excavation of the money and that the money was counted at the Lusaka Central Police Station.
He told the court that one trunk contained K1.1 billion while the other had K1 billion.
He also told the court that his wife and his colleague’s wives fainted upon seeing the money adding that the place where the money was discovered had an alarm system.
Kayando added that Liato threatened to kill him and his colleagues and falsely imprisoned them in his car and moved them around.
Kayando further testified that Liato accused them of having divulged the presence of money at his farm.
Later the money and trunks where whisked away from the court premises as the court moved to Liato’s farm in Mwembeshi.
ZANIS
Is the photo showing him coming out of the police cells. LT please tell us
Iyi ni straight ku ndende mambala
Lets wait and see.
No strong evidence so far.
It has become like gravel in the mouth…. Uko…
Let him feel the cells also. He is crooked man. Kuya bebela.
iyi yeve iliko bad!!!!!!!!!!
just get the money and use it for some rural development
The State should work very very hard to build their case. I agree with No#4 that so far there is no strong evidence. He is being charged with possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime. They have to identify those crimes. otherwise no crime in possessing money whether K100 or K1 billion
What sane person buries legal money?
Nazo nazo, whats important is what Liato will say is the Source and Purpose of burrying the money…
I disagee with #7, Ncholoco, the burden is on Liato to prove that the money is his and did not proceeds of crime. There are two levels of evidence here to convict him. First, it is to confirm that the money was unearthed from his farm and therefore he is responsible for burying it there and it is his money. After that it is him now to explain where he got that kind of money.
The first part seem easy to prove due to his workers testifying against him and overwhelming visual evidence during the discovery!!
He has to prove the source and even if it was clean money was tax paid? If not, that will be tax evasion all covered by the confistcation of proceeds from crime charge. Even when the state proves that he has to return the money, he will have to pay tax. Mwaumfwa imwe ba blulu baba kabolala.
#4 and #9 The case is there already economic sabotage. In our system, it is Liato who needs to prove himself how he got the money. Our Laws works unticlockwise. The amount of money involved is too much especially that he has no viable business to prove he can make that money. Another thing is he needs to prove how he used the compaign money.
just shows that u dont kno the man and wat u talking about….
Let the state prove that its there money and not Liato’s!
Spelling please its ‘Anti-clockwise’ not ‘unticlockwise’
The law of Zambia will prove him innoncent or guilty. Let’s wait and see maybe it was his ‘salary’ from the RED flag…. nchanchu qwandon’g.
Liato pleaded not guilty and someone has to prove him guilty. That is where Nchito has to prove his prowess
The poor Zambian wives fainted upon seeing the money.Babeleshafye ukumona utuma 100 pin which Liato give their husbands as salaries.
The smile of a big thief. By the way what tribe is Liato?
You are in the U.S, but no NZELU, all you think of is tribe. Dick-face
Bloggers pliz get this point why bury the money underground by a person of Liato’s status by then.The money was not genuinely acquired lets wait and see.
Liato lazo wakantu, knowing zambian laws nothing will come out of this case, maybe in sata’s admin will see something tangible.
Burden of proof is upon the accuser to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the money is a proceed of crime.
so far the weakness of the case already is on where the money was counted, proof shows that liato was absent at the time of excavation and counting. one wonders why police were not patient enough to wait for liato to be present. what was the rush?
You are right. The problem is people rush to conclusions. I for one would want Liato to be arrested, but history of the Govt prosecutors is not good. They rush to judge people in the media and fail to prove them guilty in the courts of law. look at all those charged in the previous Govt, non has been arrested, just waste of time.
Do the police wait for days at the scene of a crime or use LEGAL powers to investigate and remove evidence?
You have been watching too many CSI.
During our time, it was an offence to be in possession of such a large sum of money in CASH. Under the Currency Act, during our time, it was also an offense to to BURY or remove from circulation such a large sum of money. The offence of money suspected to have been stolen is speculative. So far nobody has come forward to claim it as stolen. Even the government has no record of the money having been stolen from its accounts. No businessman or corporation can miss so much money without raising alarm!
Sentence him to some gym time!
Mule-enda .. efyo caba ukwikala pamopene…..Ngatabakwikete mune chabipa sana.
Check out what Nkhosi yama Nkhosi Mpezeni said, many more former MMD MP’s/Minister’s must have loot buried somewhere! It’s either money obtained corruptly or advanced to them from their party for campaigns but them out of greed decided to hide it and later ‘exhume’ it for personal gains!
If the government fails to nail Liato then we may witness MMD suing for recovery of its money! Nomba we will not be privy to the whole story echibipile!
Ninshi Liato afwalafye akali shati kamokene??? Ta chinja… Africans sure can’t we take of our bodies… U become rich u become over-weight, this z sickness… Careless *****a, get out…
What the State MUST prove beyond REASONABLE doubt.
1. The money belonged to Liato. Remember it was found on land that is leased to him by the GRZ. The State must prove that Liato was IN POSSESSION and he is the one or his agent who buried the dosh.
2. The money is stolen by someone else or Liato himself. In other words, someone else or Liato himself, had the intention to deprive someone (owner) of the K2.1 billions PERMANENTLY.
3. Liato, having done wrong, should not benefit from his wrong doing.
The Courts must be ‘certain so as to be sure’ of the FACTS as proven by the Sate.
If there is ANY uncertainty, Liato walks.
The problem is people rush to conclusions. I for one would want Liato to be arrested, but history of the Govt prosecutors is not good. They rush to judge people in the media and fail to build their case hence fail to prove them guilty in the courts of law. look at all those charged in the previous Govt, non has been arrested, just waste of time.
Liato could have been banking his money to old way like our grand parents, puting money under the stones.
Let Nchito prove that the money was stolen, otherwise, I see Nchito losing again to the plunderers like he did in the past.
Liato is a Lozi. Bemba’s are traditionally thieves but Liato is a one off!
He seems to be confident
and people are dying of poverty, lack of drugs in hospitals, people cant send their children to schools due to lack of cash, i mean there is endless suffering due lack of money in the same country where such a huge of money lies in the ground. everyone shall face the greatest judge one day, rich or poor.
@The Saint, furthermore the Police should have investigated who built the chalet where the money was buried, was it Liato or someone else. This information could have been provided by the workers or the contractor he engaged. Then they should have investigated the firm that provided the alarm and security system. These will have put Liato on the spot as being the owner of the money. Something tells me that the only evidence that will be adduced is the undisputed fact that K2.1 billion was unearthed from Liatos farm and i doubt very much if this will be sufficient to secure a conviction. Anyway lets wait and see.
Liatonimics the theory of cash crop farming…he looks rather confident…..
A huge sum of money is unearthed at some politicians farm conspicuosly buried with all security features one ca think of and we still doubting he will be convicted of a crime???? This guy will be nailed, I have faith in our DPP!!!!