The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested former Foreign Affairs Minister, Joseph Malanji for money laundering activities involving K10 million and US 700,000 Dollars.
DEC Public Relations Officer, Mathias Kamanga said Mr Malanji, who is Kwacha Constituency Member of Parliament has been arrested for being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime contrary to section 71 subsection (1) of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.
Mr Kamanga explained that Mr Malanji in his capacity as Director at Gibson Royal Hotel in Buchi, Kitwe obtained a loan to facilitate the development and renovations of the said hotel.
He added that the Kwacha MP, on dates unknown but between 1st January 2020 and 31st August 2021 jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown, obtained K10,000,000, property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime and used it to pay off the loan.
In a press statement issued to the media in Lusaka yesterday, the DEC Public Relations Officer stated that in the second count, Mr. Malanji is believed to have procured a helicopter namely Bell 206 Jet Ranger at $700,000.00, property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
“The hotel has since been seized together with the two helicopters, the other one being the helicopter he was arrested for earlier which are currently in South Africa and arrangements are being made to have them brought into the country,”.
Similarly, Mr Kamanga noted that the Commission in Lusaka has jointly charged and arrested a former Accountant and an Accounts Assistant at the former Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs for money laundering activities involving over K4 million.
Mr Kamanga identified the two as Augustine Mungandu, male aged 53, residing in Chamba Valley, Lusaka and Shadreck Matabishi, a male aged 45 of Plot 55504 Chalala, off Shantumbu Road.
“Particulars of the offence are that the duo on dates unknown but between 1st January 2019 and 30th November 2019 jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown did steal K3, 533,770.51 from the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, by fraudulently withdrawing money over the counter on Electronic Funds Transfer Advice (EFTA) which were in other people’s names as beneficiaries without their knowledge,” he explained.
“It is further alleged that Mr Mungandu and Mr Matabishi and other persons unknown, on dates known but between 1st January 2019 and 30th November 2019 did forge a letter instructing a named bank to transfer money amounting to K476, 000.00 to an account from which they made several cash withdraws and used the money for their own personal benefit,” Mr Kamanga added.
Meanwhile, Mr Kamanga also stated that in a separate incident, an Assistant Registration Officer at the Department of National Registration, Passport and Citizenship office in Solwezi identified as Gift Katuka jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown on dates unknown but between 24th May 2018 and 11th February 2021 did steal K997, 620 by purporting to have deposited the said money into the Government Account and even forged deposit slips when in fact not
He said the commission has since arrested Mr Katuka, for theft by public servant, forgery and uttering, and money laundering, adding that a house at plot number 11291 in Kabitaka Extension in Solwezi has since been seized from the suspect.
Mr Kamanga noted that all the suspects are on police bond and will appear in court soon.
MAGA -Make Arrests Great Again. .. its amazing to see how much corruption and thievery PF was presiding over.
aah yabaaaa!!! No it was tooo much corruption
Arrests but no prosecution……kwangala uku.
What a poor country citizens must not get rich!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you are rich its corruption, If a person owns a hotel as a business its corruption…………………Shame!!!!! You are good citizen if you in poverty, that’s then meaning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shame again.. what a country.
Has the ACC or DEC in is history successfuly prosecuted any minister or top govt official for corruption?
All we are villagers being prosecuted for dagga by DEC and nothing more. Top guys …….ZERO!!!
ACC we only hear of a police officer who took maybe took K100 bribe…..
Politician steal big time…..including lots who benefited dubiously from the privitisation go scot free.
This might turn out like the Chiluba fiasco if we are not careful. Where people are smeared with the “thief” label when the court process determines otherwise. Ndipo this government has a lot to prove that should show they are not business as usual. So far indications are that the deviation is not so much. Prove your “high bar” claim a mambala.
To those saying that citizens must not get rich, let us be logical here. Malanji was an okay business man before he became an MP, all of sudden he can afford two choppers? That is suspicious. What is quite funny about the PF is that they didn’t even restrain him, you cannot make such acquisitions while in office. That is some steel of arrogance. There are many genuine businessmen who are Zambian, many, and these are celebrated even in the international community. The PF has infected Zambian minds to think such people do not exist. Malanji is not a role model, he is tainted. Let us have an even playing field and let’s have the best men and women win.
This man was not called “Bonanza” for nothing…this is what was disappointing about Lazy Lungu and PF as it was obvious that Mr Helicopter was extremely arrogant and corrupt but got away with it unless Lazy was getting a cut. I am surprised ACC has not follow up on why the Presidential Challenger was always flying to Ankara and the link to that arms ship flying the Zambian flag.
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This man was not called nick named “Bonanza” for nothing…
What is saddening about our Justice system is that we are still waiting for a court hearing on his first charge and more are piling up…we need fast trak courts for these matters.
The man has even moved all his helicopters to RSA…good luck getting them back…you should have confiscated them when you first charged him!!
In Zambia getting a loan from the bank is now a crime. This government is heading for big trouble.
These cases just make headlines as nothing
Will happen to them.How many have been taken to court?How many have been jailed?
They even end up counter suing the ACC.
Under upnd government only the f00Iish president can be a millionaire. Meanwhile malanji is a self made tycoon even before he joined politics, and atleast for him he didn’t use privatisation to enrich himself like that azzhole hh.
Tarino stop spamming the page. I will continue to moderate your ugly face. I am moderating today
When is the Law Association of Zambia going to challenge the law of ‘being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime contrary to section 71 subsection (1) of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.’ in the constitutional court?
No government should ever have the powers to arrest and seize its citizen’s property on mere suspicion. If you think that is correct you are wrong too. This law is fundamentally fraud and its time either the legislature or judiciary scraped it.
There is come back from this one. He will be an ordinary Zambian now.
I’m waiting for Kampyongo please don’t make us wait for a long time.
@Kaizar Zulu – You need to be logical and analytical. HH sold a service during privatization, whether you hate the value he got for it or not, that is legitimate business. For Malanji, well, self-made you say. A man who marries rich women to get capital and and then propels that money through his position. There is nothing admirable about Malanji, he is no Mikalile.
IF THE UPND CADRES ARE ABLE TO BUILD AND BUY EXPENSIVE VEHICLES WITHIN 3 MONTHS IN OFFICE, HOW MUCH ARE THEY GOING TO BE WORTH IN TEN YEARS TIME? A PRECEDENT IS BEING FORMED, THEY SHALL BE SUBJECTED TO THE SAME EMBARRASSMENT. ZAMBIAN POLITICS IS NO LONGER ATTRACTIVE AND INTERESTING.
Yes if you are rich stay out of politics. We must not make politics an el dorado for politicians while other citizens suffer. Why cant the rich open gold mines? Why cant they make farms? Its not like politics is a goldmine If you become rich because of politics you are corrupt. You must become rich outside politics
Arrests are good but only if they are genuine and all the evidence for prosecuting successfully is there. Not just arresting to show you are working then after 5 years the case comes to nothing.
Malanji got a huge debt from DBZ and stopped picking phones from DBZ when minister and commenced to reposes the Blue hotel in Kitwe. According to KZ these are businessmen he prides in, lets see how issues unfold. Next its those cars and farms acquired dubiously by KZ
#18 Anapaya Gaddafi
March 24, 2022 At 3:40 pm
“Yes if you are rich stay out of politics. We must not make politics an el dorado for politicians while other citizens suffer. Why cant the rich open gold mines? Why cant they make farms? Its not…..”
Well said………..
Only in Africa where people enter politics to become rich………..
or to multiply their businesses……
PETTY AMOUNTS CONSIDERING THE TRILLIONS MISSING DURING PF 10 YEARS
THERE ARE BIGGER FISH OUT THERE GET THEM AND LEAVE THE PETTY CASH ONES ALONE
SEWERAGE IS FLOWING AGAIN FROM THE IMPOSTER
BE ASSURED ALL THE MILLION $$$ AMASSED BY SOME WAS NOT THROUGH HARD WORK BUT BY SHAKING PF’S HAND
LIFE STYLE AUDITS WILL SORT THIS OUT AND THE LONGER IT TAKES THE MORE DIFFICULT IT WILL BECOME
WE NEED EVERYONE TO CHANT LIFE STYLE AUDITS NOW !!!
Mmmmm chik@la na ma chopper yabili what for?? Kikikiki no wonder you get caught… i think H2 is the smoothest malefactor of them all…just look at this since the 90s and bonanza just recently appeared on the scene
These two helicopters were bought after coming into office?
Meanwhile Kahinde’s networth is 340M dollars and the richest man in the land and one bothered to arrest him and ask him questions?
I just wish our law enforcers had real teeth to bite. Deplorable!
#plant a tree please!