A ZAMBIA Air Force (ZAF) officer yesterday told a magistrate’s court that former ZAF Commander, Andrew Sakala, on election day last year, ordered him to withdraw K500 million from one of the accounts.
ZAF Finance Director, Colonel Musa Chibesa, told Lusaka Magistrate Wilfred Muma that Sakala ordered him to withdraw the money and told him that it was meant for “special operations.”
This is in a case in which three former defence service chiefs Sakala; Army Commander, Wisdom Lopa and Zambia National Service (ZNS) Commandant, Anthony Yeta are charged with theft by public servant involving K1.5 billion.
It is alleged that the trio between September 16, 2011 and September 21, 2011 in Lusaka, stole K1.5 billion belonging to the Ministry of Defence.
Lopa, Sakala and Yeta who are on a K50 million bond each, have all denied the charge.
Col Chibesa said on September 16, last year Sakala informed him that there was a K1.5 billion to be deposited in the ZAF Aircraft Hire account but he did not tell him where the money came from.
He said on the same day, Sakala told him to withdraw K500 million and give it to another officer.
Col Chibesa said on September 19, last year, he was again told to withdraw another K500 million from the same account as well as on September 20, the same year.
He said he instructed his subordinates to facilitate the withdrawal of the money through cheques.
Col Chibesa said he did not question Sakala relating to the money because he had no powers to question a General.
He said the transaction was the first of its kind in his 29 years of service in ZAF.
And Office of the President (OP) Executive Director, Abel Lungu who was at the time Director of Finance told the court that on September 15 last year, he received instructions from then Director General, Regis Phiri to debit K1.5 billion to a ZAF account for three defence services.
Mr Lungu who told the court that he was not privy as to the intended purpose of the money said the subject on the letter was: ‘urgent disbursement of funds’ and was marked: ‘top secret and confidential.’
He said on the same day, he issued instructions to ZANACO Business Centre to debit the money to the ZAF account.
Mr Lungu admitted during cross examination that the letter further stated the money was for emergency purposes and it was debited into the ZAF account and not in individual accounts of the defence service Chiefs.
Another witness, ZANACO Cash Manager, Charles Tembo told the court that on September 16, last year when he was acting general manager at Business Centre, he received instructions from OP to transfer K1.5 billion to the ZAF account and another K500 million to the Zambia Police Service.
Mr Tembo said he asked his subordinates to debit the money to the accounts and that was done.
ZANACO Bank Clerk, Mundaula Manda explained to the court how she posted the money in question to ZAF and Zambia Police Service accounts on September 16, last year.
Trial continues on September 11, 2012.
[Times of Zambia]
:((
Since the money was not credited to personal accounts, case closed
In the army you take orderz without questionz! Like right now, Staff Sergeant; “Sergeant can you start frog-jumping…..” Reply; “Oh yes sure Sir”
I hope our security won’t be compromised. Some operations are secret.
Rubbish! There is no case here. Let’s concentrate on real criminals like mutembo, mumembe, rajah and gbm!
What has hon GBM ever stolen,, he is too rich for u
Why withdrawal such amounts of money on election day?
This case is leading to Bwezani………
It is still CNP type of govt, we wont be distracted by these bogus lokus
cage these thieves
nkuyu zakudya mwana zipota mkulu.
CHIMBWI NO PLAN!
Snoopy doggy you are right. The finance director testified that this type of transaction had never happened in his 29 years of service meaning this was a very irregular transaction indeed!! They knew their thieving MMD government was loosing the election so they had to make hay while the sun shone. Cage themmmmm!!!
Do you know how much Winter has withdrawn from ZAMTEL for PF use and his personal use?
TELL US, ANY INFORMATION!
so the money was deposited into ZAF account..?so let them tell the nation what they know as well..as commanders..
No Case there Imwe…
Its reprehensible that our national defence forces have been tarnished by greed and rotten commanders.
No doubt, this is a classic example of the head being rotten!!
There is no case here.It was well intentioned,we had erections and obviously security wings had to be on high alert.
So far there is no sign of theft. Money was put in ZAF account for emergency operations. So, at what stage was this money stolen from the ZAF accounts or we have not reached that stage yet!
It was deposited then Withdrawn “ordered him to withdraw K500 million from one of the accounts.” The ZAF Accounts seem to have been a conduit through which this K1.5billion was channeled. What the court needs to establish is whether the money that was withdrawn has been properly accounted for within the military system…the prosecution are alleging that this money was stolen. It went into ZAF and it was withdrawn in three K500m batches and it disappeared.
all you guys crying no case -have you forgotten how the zamtrop account worked.Even Sakalas wife threatened to report his crimes when he cheated on her.The guy in the article says this was the first transaction of its kind in 29 yrs.What was so extraordinay and unprecidented last year that would put aside all procedure and practice when we have had attemted coups and near wars with angola in the past 29 yrs?
Forgive them. They are empty cans commenting without reasoning.
I will ask the fince director if he has been in that position for 29 yrs for him to know that it has never happened before. If he says yes then that he is dull hence stagnating on one position for that long.
It was fro secret OPS case closed
nothing sinister!
Zambians are so NOT serious! Col. Chibesa clearly stated in his witness statement that, he withdrew the K500 million on instruction from Gen. Sakala on 16 September 2011, then on 19 September 2011 he withdrew another K500 milloin and lastly on 20 September 2011 he withdrew another K500 million! The money originated from OP through then Director Finance Abel Lungu, after being instructed by chief spook Regis Phiri. This is Zamtroop all over again and most likely the monies were delivered partly to RB while the General got their share! The money in the ZAF, Zambia Army & ZNS accounts disapperaed while Zambia Police money was their. Who had more to do with the elections? This is a clear case of looting after realising that the MMD had lost the election! CHAIN THESE MONISTERS!
Zambia and Zambians. Africa and Africans. One thing I have been wondering is the fact that many African leaders and Rich businessmen loot their poor nations with impunity and where do they take the money? – to the rich nations! That’s where they feel its safe, but at the expense of their own republican people. The money that could build roads, hospitals, bridges, buy crops from farmers, buy medicine, educate their own people, fight malaria, TB, AIDS, you name it, that money they stole and continue stealing is just sitting in developed countries’ bank accounts, being utilized by people in developed countries. and yet we have them still with us the poor, they still continue stealing and plundering with impunity, and still take it to sit in developed countries banks. Twisted logic
#23 Floyd Chitalu,
Your posting is the truth and makes a lot of sense!
Whatever! It far, far less than the 14 billion and more owed by others.
Kamwendo Munjila gets back home & hears strange noises coming from the bedroom. He rushes in to find Thawendi naked on the bed, sweating and panting. “Uli makola?” he asks. “I’m having a heart attack,” cries Thawendi. Kamwendo phones 911, but just as he’s dialling, one of his twins comes up & says, “Pappy! Brother James is hiding in your closet, & he’s cintako!” he slams the phone, storms right past Thawendi, & rips open the closet door. Sure enough, there is his son, totally naked still with a hard-on. “You rotten son”, he screams. “Your step mother’s having a heart attack, & you’re running around naked scaring the kids!”
Senior chief Ndake of the nsenga people is Dead MHSRIP , HH is their, but CNP nowhere to be seen.
Leave the Generals alone, its just a mere K500million each, plus a little to their friend RB. Why should magistrate courts hear millitary cases, the testimonies are purely sensitive to national security.
May be this part of the money which was buried, or is it Bwezan’s money, the gnerals are afried to talk.
#2,5,8 & 11, HH pUppies; barking all the time. nonsense!
These people have been doing this for years! Public money embezzled by public officials. And they tend to get away with it…..It is easy to hide or squirrel it away.The cover up is the first thing to do. Everybody denies responsibility. Complete disregard for the people who they are supposedly representing. We need serious forensic and asset tracing people with integrity to help sort out all this kleptocratic behaviour. It’s one of the main reasons poverty is so endemic. Someone please contradict me and tell me i’m wrong and why i’m wrong.
#25- thats not funny, alah.have respect for elders and former leader.
Let the truth come out. If the money was spent on military vehicles, guns, or ammunition, then there is nothing to hide. I am sure Lt Gen Sakala will point that out. If the Quarter Master records don’t show anything, then Lt Gen Sakala is in deep shit.
vi kawalala…. vimangeni chabe