I OWN 30 FLATS AND A FLEET OF 14 TRUCKS WHICH BRING ME LEGITIMATE INCOME – KAMBWILI
PF member Chishimba Kambwili has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that he owns 30 blocks of flats and a fleet of 14 trucks, in addition to other businesses from where he gets legitimate income.
He has further disclosed that he earned about K12.8 million from a transporting contract he had with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA), which he said was just one of the many contracts earning him income.
This is a matter in which Kambwili, his son Mwamba, Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services, Lukwesa Musonda Brano and Mulenga Makasa Kapilima are charged with; one count of making a document without authority, one count of uttering a false document, two counts of obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences and 35 counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
The accused persons were found with a case to answer in the matter and place on their defence.
When the matter came up for defence before Senior Resident Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile, Friday, Kambwili, whose lawyers were not present, said that he runs a family business called Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services for which he is a non-executive board chairman.
He added that his son Mwamba and wife Carol Chipande Chansa Kambwili are the directors of the company.
Kambwili disclosed that he funded the start of the business from the other businesses he runs such as CK Technical Services Limited, CK Scrap Metal Merchants and General Contractors Limited, Roan Bread Limited and Go-Come Trading Agencies.
He told the court that through the money [earned] from his other businesses, he started Mwamona which was a mining business that would be developing mines and mining on behalf of mining houses.
Kambwili added that he paid for all the mining equipment with the arrangement that he would be controlling the finances in order to recover his investment.
“I paid for all the mining equipment and the arrangement was that I was going to control the finances and recover my investments bit by bit until the company stood on its own. The arrangement was for me to be drawing some money as and when I have use for it and deposit it into my personal account,” he said.
Kambwili said at the time of the charge, he legitimately owned 30 blocks of flats across the country and farms in Luanshya from where he earns rentals.
He added that he also ran a transport company in conjunction with Mwamona Engineering with a fleet of 14 trucks which are used to ferry various goods within and outside Zambia.
“I have a total of 14, 30 tonne trucks which I use to ferry various goods within and outside Zambia. These trucks have had a number of contracts with different institution among them FRA, Varun Beverages, cement manufacturing companies like Zambezi Portland and individuals. The arrangement also, Your Honour is that when the contract is between an established institution, or corporate, the contract will be between Mwamona Engineering and the corporate. Then the contacts that are with individuals, they are signed between myself under Chishimba Kambwili Transport and those individuals,” he added.
Kambwili said apart from the individual contracts, Mwamona had a number of other contracts with various companies which show that the company had legitimate contracts with the organisations and earned legitimately from the services offered.
“On the other hand, as Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services, we have a number of contracts that were entered into by Mwamona and various institutions, namely; Mopani Copper Mines, Konkola Copper Mines, Kruger Veolia, Zesco limited, Gomes Haulage, government of the Republic of Zambia in relation to construction of Liteta police station, China Henan Corporation and Luanshya copper mines…These contracts show that we had legitimate contracts with these organisations and earned legitimate money from there for the services we offered as Mwamona engineering and technical services,” Kambwili said.
“Just to mention that these are not the only contracts that Mwamona has done, we have only picked those within the charge period which is 2012 to 2016. We have done more than this, earning money legitimately. For example, one contract with KCM was worth in excess of US$11 million. Just to show that we have been earning a lot of legitimate money.”
Kambwili also presented the court with bank statements for Mwamona Engineering’s four accounts domiciled at Atlas Mara Bank, Luanshya branch, whose signatories are himself, his son Mwamba and his wife Carol.
He added that the company also had accounts with other banks but only referred to the accounts that were cited in the case.
Kambwili also presented 43 loading orders from the FRA showing that the company earned legitimate money with the agency in excess of K8 million unrebased and a total of over K12 million rebased.
He further added that he earned in excess of K6 million from a scrap metal deal he did with Luanshya Copper Mines after a court settlement and the money was deposited in his personal First National Bank account.
Kambili however, could not proceed further as the last document he needed to tender as evidence, which was the PACRA document showing the directors of Mwamona and the board resolutions, was with the lawyers who were not before court.
Magistrate Mikalile then adjourned the matter 7th and 10th June for continued defence.
It is alleged in one of the counts that Mwamoma Engineering and Kambwili on dates unknown but between August 1, 2014 and September 30, 2016, in Lusaka, whilst acting together by means of false pretence, dishonestly obtained US$105,220.07 from China Henan International Corporation Group Limited, purporting that Mwamona, a company which was subcontracted, was executing the works on Luwingu-Mansa road when in fact not.
Kambwili and Mwamona are also alleged to have presented a false ZRA tax clearance certificate to ZESCO purporting that it was genuinely issued, resulting in the award of a contract of K8 million for the construction of Houses and toilets under the Lunzua Hydro Power project, thereby obtaining pecuniary advantage of a contract sum of K1,652,482.81.