Witness tells EFCC ‘ichola’ meant to purchase a chancery in Turkey was diverted by Malanji

Witness tells EFCC ‘ichola’ meant to purchase a chancery in Turkey was diverted by Malanji

A Turkish witness yesterday told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that he was directed to pick up two bags of money from the işBank by the late Zambia’s ambassador to Turkey Joseph Chilengi, which former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Malanji returned with to Zambia.


The witness told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that the bags were loaded on the cargo bay of the private jet which was waiting for Malanji at the airport.

According to sources, the money in question was in the tune of US$5 million which was released by the Zambian government, meant for the purchase of a Chancery for the Zambian mission in Turkey but was diverted by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs who personally went to collect it from Turkey.

Testifying before principal resident magistrate Irene Wishimanga, Cetin Eskiduman of Ankara Turkey who is a driver at the Zambian Embassy in Turkey said, on December 29, 2020 the late Chilengi instructed him to go to the işBank and wait outside for the account at Zambian embassy, Sam Sankenga who would meet him there.

“I waited there for a long time it was early morning when the Bank opened at 09:00 hours  after waiting for some time up until in the afternoon when Mr Sankenga came with some people and brought two bags of money,” he said.

Eskiduman said notable among the men was Burhan a driver of lawyer Ashak Safak.

He said the bags of money were put in the ambassador’s car and he drove to Sheraton Hotel where he found Malanji and diplomats of the Zambian mission seated at the lobby called Luger.

“The minister’s delegation was waiting to go to the airport and we proceeded immediately I arrived,” Eskiduman said.

“When we reached the airport we were told to drive our cars to a Zambian plane, everyone got out of theirs cars and put the the bags to the cargo bay of the plane and we were told to leave, because the plane was about to touch off.”

Gulce Senger an Interpreter at the Zambian
Embassy in Turkey said according to the contract for the purchase of property the Landlord had requested for US$1.5 million but receipts show that less money was paid.

She said when the late Chilengi went to Turkey he complained that the chancery that the Zambian mission was renting was too small he needed the mission to move to a bigger building.

Senger said with the area there was a building that was being rented out and Chilengi decided to meet the landlord and they had a meeting.

“The ambassador said he wanted to rent the property and in future he wanted to buy it for the Zambian embassy and the landlord said in future he might consider selling the property,” she said.

“The ambassador asked the landlord to refurbish the building. In 2019 December we moved in the building as tenants and through the end of October 2020 the ambassador wanted to have another meeting with him on zoom. Chilengi asked the landlord if he was still willing to sell the building and the landlord agreed on a condition that we agree on the price.”

Senger said Chilengi asked the landlord to prepare a quotation with the necessary information which he would send to Zambia for evaluation.

“ he said It should contain the floor plan, full address and the amount of the building which would go to Zambia for approval. I received the quotation from Mr Sam Sankenga for me to translate it was in Turkish I interpreted and sent it to Sankenga. The ambassador said he would communicate with his lawyers for price negotiations,” she said.

“During COVID times Mr Chilengi was hospitalized for a few weeks in 2021 and he could not survive. Because he had died I thought the landlord had stopped the process for the purchase of property, I thought it was canceled.”

She said during winter she found out from the landlord’s personal assistant that the building belonged to the Zambian government, when he refused to check the air conditioners after she requested him to do so, as he told her to find someone else to do the job.

“I was surprised to hear that I asked the landlord who was the new owner and he said as the Embassy you (Zambia) bought it. At that point I asked around I didn’t know who knew what, to what extent,” Senger said.

“After some time the first secretary political  Lawrence Mulango said he wanted to see me and would give me confidential documents for interpretation. It was the tittle deed for the chancery.”

She said each floor of the building was registered for separately at the lands office and was paid for with different amounts.

“It ( tittle deeds) was three pages the official document from the Turkish government it was issued on August 10, 2021 with the amount, there were three documents because the building had three floors and the floors were registered separately at the land office and the prices were different,”she said

“The  building was 11, 700,000 TL (TRY) the title deeds when calculated was close to quarter the amount there was no much difference 9, 700, 000TL(TRY) I thought they negotiated on the price.”

She said when she had sight of the title deeds which were registered in the Embassy of Zambia she was shocked and when she converted the currency to the US$ it showed that the landlord had requested for $1.5million but the chancery was paid for at a lesser amount.

In this case Fredson Yamba a fomer secretary to the treasury and his co-accused Malanji are accused of failing to adhere to guidelines relating to the management of public resources and possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Yamba is alleged to have abrogated the law relating to the management of public property when he approved the transfer of K154, 201, 197 for the purchase of a chancery in Turkey.

Malanji is accused of possessing two helicopters BELL430 and a BELL 206 Jet Ranger helicopter suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Trial continues on August 16.

By Mwaka Ndawa

Kalemba August 14, 2024.