Southern Water and Sewerage Company (SWASCO) says former Southern province Patriotic Front (PF) political secretary Brian Hapunda wrote a letter to the company requesting for a donation from the company.
SWASCO accountant Curtis Lungowe aged 41 of Riverside Choma said he received a letter from his superiors directing him to pay a sum of K2,000 after management had agreed to make the donation to the ruling party.
This is in case were Mr Hapunda, former Southern Province Patriotic Front (PF) Political Secretary has been charged with five counts of obtaining money by false pretences as well as uttering a false document and making documents without authority using the name of the ruling party yesterday failed to take off in the Livingstone Magistrate Court.
Appearing before magistrate Edsen Shanduba, Mr Hapunda earlier applied for an adjournment because both his legal counsels were not present in court.
The court threw out the application stating that the accused counsel did not give the court notification that they were not going to be present in court.
Magistrate Shanduba said the case had dragged for too long nearing to one year because it had commenced in February this year and had seen a number of adjournments.
He ruled that trial commences with or without the representation of the accused counsel.
And Mr Lungowe who was the first witness to be presented before the court testified how he received a letter from his acting managing director Charles Shindaile authorizing him to write a cheque in Mr Hapunda’s name worth of K2000.
He stated that after getting that communication from his superiors he further directed his junior accountant to write a cheque to that effect.
“On the 24th of May 2013 I received communication through a letter from my superiors instructing me to make a payment of K2000 which was a donation to the PF after a request according to the letter signed by a Mr Brian Hapunda,” Mr Lungowe said.
The matter which has four state witnesses was adjourned to December 27th 2013 for continued trial where the state is supposed to systematically present in order the other three remaining witnesses.
This fool is very dull.How do you ask for illicit money in writing?How is he going to fight these charges when the state as expected bring evidence of the letter and of transactions on his account?Prepare for jail bwana.And it appears the fool never even saved his ill gotten gains and now lawyers are deserting him.
He is Tonga what do you expect ? Cow-dung mentality YET some former cattle herder thinks he can rule Zambia. Malabishi !
Magistrate Shanduba said the case had dragged for too long nearing to one year because it had commenced in February this year and had seen a number of adjournments.
“On the 24th of May 2013 I received communication through a letter from my superiors instructing me to make a payment of K2000 which was a donation to the PF after a request according to the letter signed by a Mr Brian Hapunda,” Mr Lungowe said.
The case started in February 2013 when it was commited in May 2013?
Nice observation ba Matondolo
Masumba who rose to the position of Deputy Minister has eventually crumbled no matter how long his court case took. What of my brother Hapunda who was just a little boy in the PF ranks? I feel for him.
In as much as youths are fighting to be given chance in leadership positions, i am of the view that let them first sort out their poverty. I may not blame Hapunda, i blame his poverty status. Hapunda why are you embarrassing yourself over K11,000. Please find yourself a decent job or business. I believe you can still survive without always licking Kabimba’s ****. Some of us have made it big. No wonder your lawyers have deserted you. You have nothing to give them. Sorry Brother. Sad news
It seems likely the young man failed to raise some K10m for lawyers, even his own father in China cant help the thieving son.
How does the tribe come into this. A thief is a thief . Please leave peace loving Tongas out of this