By NATION REPORTER
THE Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has filed a notice of motion in the Economic and Financial Crimes Court demanding the forfeiture and seizure of 15 flats belonging former First Lady, Esther Lungu valued at K24 million.
The DPP has separately filed a notice of motion for the forfeiture to the State of the seized farm allegedly belonging to former President Edgar Lungu’s daughter Tasila. According to the application, the said properties are believed to be tainted properties and liable for forfeiture to the State because they are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
In an affidavit in support of motion filed in the Economic and Financial Crimes Court-High Court, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) senior investigations officer, Mr Emmanuel Khondowe, stated that 15 double storey flats located in State Lodge were acquired between 2013 to 2021.Mr Khondwe submitted that investigations revealed that the said properties belonged to the former First Lady, Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu and a search at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources confirmed so.He stated that a senior Registrar at the Ministry of Lands, a Mr Andrea Chuni in a statement stated that the properties no. CHONG/LN 9334/1, 9334/2,9334/3 and 9334/4 was on a 99-year state lease from July 1,2015 to Ms Lungu.“That a report was received from the technocrats at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development which revealed that, the estimated cost for the construction of 15 double storey flats and other associated works on property no.9334/1-4 for the interested party as at November 2022 was K41,586,110.66,”“That I went further on to interview and record a statement from Micky Kaisi, a quantity surveyor from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development who explained that using the average United States Dollar rate of USD1 to K9.49 from 2015 to 2017 being the period between which the structures were constructed, the cost was interpolated to K24,256,434.55,” he stated.Mr Khondwe said that this prompted him to investigate Ms Lungu’s financial capacity in relation to the properties acquired, he discovered that she had a an account with Zanaco which was opened on March 27,1995 as a sole signatory.He said the said account had 65 debit entries worth K2,511,117.09 and 79 credit entries with gross total of about K3,104,487.14 as credit and the debit turnover between January ,2012 and August 16, 2022He added that both credit and debit turnover consisted of inter account transfers of K500,000 on May 4,2020 and 2021, August 3,2021, May 10,2022 and August 3,2022, thereby increasing turnover on both ends without fresh inflows.Mr Khondwe submitted to court that the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust kwacha and Dollar accounts held at First National Bank (FNB) opened in November 2015, as a public sector account, Ms Lungu was chairperson and one of the signatories for the Kwacha account.“That there were a total debit entries worth about K14,054,098.27 between November 3,2015 and 31st August 2022 which were mainly bank charges, salaries and project funding among other expenses,”“That there were total credit entries worth grosstotal of about K19,459,606.86 and that in this amount,there were placements of about K3,000,000 and USD20,356.70 into fixed deposit accounts which did not in any way benefit the first interested party in her personal capacity ,” he stated.In the case of Ms Tasila Lungu Mwansa, Mr Khondwe stated that according to investigations, she acquired the farm no.F/2278 in Sinda district between 2013 and 2022.He said according to a report, the estimated cost for the construction of the structures ,fish ponds and other related works at the said property at at November 2022, was K13,950,378.83.“That I then conducted an analysis of her known income and expenditure for the period 11th June ,2015 to August 31,2021 which revealed an income of K867,800.00 against an expenditure of K502,833.67 with a variation of about K364,966.41.“I did comparison of the known incoe against the property valued at K8,840,098.00 which showed a variation of about K7,972,297.92 above her known income,” he said.