Lungu’s daughter has property beyond her income – DPP
FORMER president Edgar Lungu’s daughter, Chiyeso has property worth K9.3 million which, according to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Gilbert Phiri, is way beyond her income.
Chiyeso, who was inaugurated as a practising lawyer in 2018, has two farms with a high-cost house, four chicken runs and three flats in Lusaka’s State Lodge area, property worth K9, 375, 438.62, and acquired between 2013 and 2021.
But according to the DPP, there was no way Chiyeso could have owned property worth that much because investigations show that
the former president’s daughter only opened her first bank account with FNB on December 9, 2014 and had no significant transactions since it was opened until 2018 when she started using it as a salary account.
Filing an affidavit in the Economic and Financial Crimes Court on behalf of the DPP, Emmanuel Khondowe submitted that Chiyeso’s property be forfeited to the State.
The DPP revealed that Chiyeso became part of education Outreach for Children, a charity organisation, which is no longer operational and opened an SME account on July 24, 2015.
Further, the DPP revealed that an inquiry at the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) showed that Chiyeso never declared any tax income and her company, Crest Lodge, on property no. LUS /38478, off Twin Palm road in Ibex Hill in Lusaka, declared VAT amounting to K14, 306, 103.87 and also declared rental income amounting to K375, 000.
“The expenses were K8, 021, 370.14 and paid salaries of K3, 422, 675.63 resulting in expenses of K11, 444, 045.77 and the only disposable income the company made was K3, 237, 058.10,” Khondowe stated.
He explained that a search at the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) revealed that Chiyeso is a director and shareholder in Crest Lodge.
“An analysis of her known income between January 2, 2015 and June 3, 2023 was K2, 143, 184.41 against an expenditure of K2, 138, 920.00 with a variation of K4, 264.13,” Khondowe stated.
He said a comparison of the known income and against the two properties, valued at K9, 375, 438.62, showed a variation of K7, 232, 254.49 above Chiyeso’s known income and she had no other income generating activities.
“I seized the real properties in question as they were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime. The properties are tainted and liable for forfeiture to the State because they are proceeds of crime. The offence in Section 71 of the Forfeiture of proceeds of crimes Act no. 10 of the Zambian laws is a serious offence,” said Khondowe.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba