Following testimonies from 11 witnesses in court, State has closed the case in which former Postmaster General McPherson Chanda and two Directors are accused of stealing K335,108,834.00, the money meant for Social Cash Transfer Fund.
The two others are former Finance Director Best Mwaichi and former Director for Operations Isaac Kamwimba.
The trio stands charged with 13 counts of Theft by Public Servant.
The arresting officer Victor Mutantabowa told the Financial and Economic Crimes Court in Ndola being presided over by Kaunda Sakwanda that the accused persons stole the money subject to the charges before the court when they fraudulently converted its use.
Mutantabowa explained that each time Social Cash Transfer Funds were placed into a fixed deposit account amounted to theft because the same was done without the consent of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services.
Other witnesses who testified were two bank officials from Absa namely Susan Chanda Kapeso who confirmed receiving instructions to place funds into a fixed deposit account and Gideon Chibwe from the same firm who confirmed that following instructions to place funds into a fixed deposit account, funds were later placed into a fixed deposit account.
On Tuesday. the Court heard from Oliver Joe Phiri who is in charge of reconciliation of accounts at Zampost that the money which was placed into the fixed deposit account was intended to benefit the vulnerable and that the vulnerable would not be paid anything during the time that the money remained in the fixed deposit account.
The court has set 18th April 2022 as the date for the case to answer the ruling while 21st and 22nd April 2022 have been set for the commencement of defence should the accused persons be found with a case to answer.
No comment at the moment
Is the theft that the money was simply put into a fixed deposit account? That’s the theft by public servant? No one withdrew the money for personal use?
Not a very strong case here.
There’s nothing to answer here, the state should instead pay the accused for deformation
This is the govt which doesn’t know whether it’s going or coming. I now understand why KZ invested in Dubai
useless case!