Additional financial transactions have been disclosed in the ongoing murder trial of former Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Director General Guntila Muleya, who was killed on July 23, 2024. Mr Muleya is alleged to have been murdered by two police officers, a civilian and IBA accountant Francis Chipyoka.
Testifying before the Lusaka High Court, State witness Nunel Mulenga said a payment of more than K549,000, allegedly intended for the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), was prepared on July 24, 2024, a day after Mr Muleya’s death. He told the court that the payment was prepared by his then supervisor, Peter Hambiya, while Mr Chipyoka was attending a meeting in the boardroom.
Mr Mulenga’s testimony follows earlier evidence from IBA Head of Procurement Sydney Mfuya, who told the court that a K400,000 payment to Veriedian Dynamics had been disguised as a statutory payment to ZRA. Mr Mfuya said the company is owned by Samuel Dokowe, one of the accused persons in the case.
Mr Mulenga further testified that he became suspicious after questioning the earlier payment and was informed that IBA allegedly owed ZRA more than K7 million. However, he said that during a subsequent forensic audit at IBA, he discovered that the bank statements used by auditors differed from those previously provided to him by Mr Hambiya.
