NO ILLEGAL TRANSACTIONS IN MALANJI’S BANK ACCOUNT, STATE WITNESS TELLS COURT
……says as of 2017, Stanbic bank declared Joseph Malanji a platinum client after determining that he was the high earning client
Lusaka… Thursday, April 11, 2024
A banker has told the Lusaka Magistrates Court that former Foreign Affairs minister Joseph Malanji had no illegal transactions in his bank account at Stanbic bank.
Eugene Kana, the private relations manager also told the court that as of 2017, Mr Malanji held a platinum account after being declared as the high earning client.
Kana was testifying in a matter in which Malanji and former secretary to the treasury, Fredson Yamba are charged with 10 counts of willful failure to comply with laid down procedures and possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Yamba is charged with two counts of willful failure to comply with laid down procedures while Malanji is facing eight counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
When the matter came up for continued trial, today, Kana narrated how some Drug Enforcement Commission -DEC officers requested for some bank statements and mandate files for Malanji.
“Sometime in March 2021, the bank was approached by DEC officers who requested for the customer bank statements and customer mandate files for Mr Joseph Malanji. I accessed the bank system called FINACAL using the username and bank password to retrieve the bank statement. The dates In question where from October 2020 to December 2021,” said Kana.
“As for the customer mandate files, our efforts to locate the files failed but we do keep electronic copies. The officers did return after some time and requested details of specific transactions on the bank statements. I took screenshots, had them printed and sent them. The document were later handed over to the officers from DEC.”
And in cross examination, asked by senior counsel Makebi Zulu on what type of account Honorable Malanji had, the witness said Platinum.
Further asked if as at 2017, it was determined that honorable Malanji was a high earning client, Mr Kana responded in affirmative.
And asked if there was any illegal transactions in his bank transfers and deposit, the witness said no.
“As of 2017, was it determined that Joseph Malanji was the high earning client?,” Asked Makebi
“Yes”, responded the witness
“And there was no report of suspicious deposits?, ” Asked Makebi.
“Not that I’m aware of,” said the witness.
“Was there anything wrong with the transations in his bank account?,” Makebi asked.
Mr Kana responded saying “No, there wasn’t,”.
The matter has been adjourned to June 18, 2024.
Senior counsels are State Counsels (SC) and Makebi is not one.
Commercial Banks will never disclose that their client’s transactions were illegal because their source income is gotten from depositors of money in their banks. Have you ever seen banks like Stanbic, Standard Chartered, Atlas Mara and others report to DEC and other government investigative wings of any suspicious illegal transaction? Definitely, the answer is no. That is why the Financial Intelligence Centre carries out investigations. So the fact that Malanji’s Bank Account has been declared free of any illegal transactions by Stanbic Bank does not mean that all the transactions he conducted with the bank were transparent and clean?
It is only the court and DEC that are capable of spoting greying areas and suspected illegal transactions Malanji conducted. It is for this reason the court and DEC are probing further to establish the source of Malanji ‘s money. Also, whether his businesses abided by following financial regulations such as paying the required taxes to Zambia Revenue Authority?
It is like the issue of Tasila Lungu who thinks she can fool Zambians and the court of law by simply saying her father gave her money to buy buy the farm in Sinda. Criminals and the corrupt think they are smart but soon the law will catch up with them.
Kubeja badala, you seem to have little knowledge on the status of lawyers. Senior Counsel and State Counsel are different. Research before you parade your ignorance on social media.
Do you think he was so foolish as to put stolen money in his bank account? Why do you think he used the presidential jet to go to turkey and finalize the deal so that the excess dollars can be brought back in cash.