FORMER ZRA COMMISSIONER GENERAL TELLS COURT, HE WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED BASED ON A NON EXISTANT ASSET DISPOSAL POLICY……….THE DRAFT POLICY HAD NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD
LUSAKA – In a dramatic turn during court proceedings yesterday, former Commissioner-General of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Dr. Kingsley Chanda, vehemently denied allegations of procedural impropriety in the disposal of obsolete ZRA vehicles during his tenure.
Appearing before Your Worship Sylvia Munyinya, Dr. Chanda described the charges against him as “baseless” and rooted in a draft policy that was never approved by the ZRA Board nor officially in force at the material time.
“Your Worship, there is no way I could have breached a policy that did not exist,” declared Dr. Chanda. “What you have here in your court is not the official ZRA Asset Disposal Policy. It’s a draft that was developed by a small technical committee that was tasked to revise the official policy”
Unapproved Policy at the Heart of Case
At the center of the allegations is a draft Asset Disposal Policy labeled “P1” by the prosecution. Dr. Chanda clarified that the document was an internal working draft under review, with no record of Board approval or endorsement.
He added that the correct and binding policy in effect between 2017 and 2020 was not referenced in the charges or presented in court—an omission he said amounted to a “significant misdirection in both law and fact.” “Your Worship, I was arrested by heavily armed Police Officers, Detained without being told why, charged and now being prosecuted on the basis of a policy that did not exist.”
Delegated Responsibilities and Chain of Command
Dr. Chanda outlined that the disposal of assets was managed by the Asset Disposal Committee, chaired by Managers in the Division that was being managed by Mr. Dingani Banda—currently the Commissioner-General. He emphasized that he neither sat on this committee nor had any role in the advertisement or allocation of vehicles.
“Advertising obsolete vehicles was never my responsibility, not then and not now,” he stated.
Refuting Witness Allegations
Dr. Chanda addressed allegations by a state witness, Nalishebo Musipili, who claimed that she was asked to buy a vehicle for him via a phone call from one of his assistants. He dismissed the claim as “false and malicious,” asserting that visitor logs and call records—which the prosecution failed to present—would have easily disproved the accusation.
Similarly, he dismissed the assertion that ZRA vehicles were sold to officials of the Patriotic Front (PF), stating unequivocally that “no vehicle was ever sold to PF” and that all vehicles were legally sold to ZRA employees with official receipts.
Board Oversight and Legal Framework
Citing multiple sections of the ZRA Act, his employment contract, and the organization’s delegation framework, Dr. Chanda emphasized that any action he took—including the approval of a few vehicles for disposal—was within his authority and always subject to Board ratification. He informed the court that he made many decisions for the efficient and effective administration of ZRA that were subject Board ratification and Board notification. “Your Worship, none of the many decisions and approvals I made subject to Board ratification and notification was ever questioned or rejected by the Board” He emphahsised that he was not the first Commissioner General to do this and there was nothing irregular.
Your Worship “Once a decision by the Commissioner-General is ratified by the Board, it ceases to be his decision. It becomes the Board’s decision,” he stressed.
He further elaborated that ZRA’s operations are annually audited by reputable firms and the Auditor General, and no reports had flagged the disposal process during his tenure.
Resale and Political Branding of Vehicles
On the issue of vehicles later appearing with PF branding, Dr. Chanda said ZRA has no jurisdiction over what buyers do with legally purchased vehicles.
“ZRA sold to individuals—not to political parties,” he argued. “All the evidence regarding who bought is before this court. No single vehicle was sold by ZRA to PF. If individuals later resold or gifted anyone, that was outside the ZRA Asset Disposal Procedures.”
The case continues on Friday 16 May, 2025 at 09:00
Source: ZED DIARY