A little-known company called Lee Bridge Limited has come forward to claim the ownership of the mobile phones and accessories onboard an Emirates Cargo Flight that also delivered Election materials for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
In a statement not signed and released to the media by the company’s management, Lee Bridge Limited said that the company is an Agent for Infinix Mobility of Hong Kong, and as s distributors of Infinix Phones, ordered the consignment from Hong Kong and paid contracted Emirates to transport them to Lusaka Zambia.
The Company further said that they are ready to contribute to the enhancement of integrity in elections by keeping the phones and accessories at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport until after the elections.
Below is the full statement
Following unsubstantiated media reports regarding the arrival of mobile phones and accessories on board an Emirates Cargo Flight that also delivered Election materials for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), Management of Lee Bridge would like to state the following.
That indeed the phones and accessories belong to Lee Bridge Limited a company based in Lusaka Zambia that is an Agent for Infinix Mobility of Hong Kong. Lee Bridge as distributors of Infinix Phones ordered the consignment from Hong Kong and paid contracted Emirates to transport them to Lusaka Zambia.
Our organisation had no advance knowledge that our consignment would be delivered on the same cargo plane carrying sensitive materials which are Election materials for the forthcoming General elections.
We were only made aware of the development when we received several inquiries from third parties.
Lee Bridge and Infinix Mobility have no role to play in Zambian Politics but business to help Zambia attain the middle income country status by investing in communication technology which is a prerequisite for economic development.
We take this opportunity to urge our friends from the Fourth Estate (The Media) to verify facts before publishing them in order to avoid alarming the public like in this case.
We are making every effort to have Emirates explain to the Zambian people how our consignment from Hong Kong found itself aboard a chartered plane by the ECZ.
On our part, we are ready to contribute to enhancement of integrity in elections by keeping the phones and accessories at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport until after elections.
Once again Lee Bridge is calling for balance reporting in order to avoid speculation.
ZRA check tax compliance for this company……. Why your goods in a government (ECZ) charted plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would urge the press to dig deeper. This smells like a cover up! Which private company you know would include the following in their statement “urge our friends from the Fourth Estate (The Media) to verify facts before publishing them in order to avoid alarming the public like in this case.” They even repeat it!! How is that their foremost concern?
Mix-ups do happen but when they do, please explain them well in order not to cause unnecessary tension. The ECZ attitude is especially worrying. They know that not all stakeholders in these elections see them as impartial arbiters but they don’t seem to care.
Another one where the owner is nameless this has become typical of under PF regime just like the 48 houses…if I ordered goods with my hard earned money via Emirates cargo and this happened I would come out guns blazing giving my name and giving all details possible, goods delayed is money wasted. This looked like a straight forward coming but the way things are going its starting to look like a proxy company for PF officials. We can not continue 5 more years with this type of secrecy…I mean ZRA have all the details but are mute this is air transport not a wheel barrow smuggled via Kipushi DRC.
The more they wait they more the look for a foreign to use to come and claim these goods with bogus papers ….they are making the bogus paperwork as I type these people have no shame.
Whatever happened, the move to keep the consignment at the airport until after elections is credible. It is an awkward scenario for an Airline to handle cargo in such a manner that the receiver got notice through third party comments over the vonsignnent (it appears the consignment was not on freight bill?) otherwise they run a risk of even carrying materials that could explode inflight!
Who owns Lee Bridge? That statement should have been signed by a person, even an employee. Mufisa nji amambala? That’s how even Hichilema’s investments are. He has companies owned by other companies owned by other companies owned by other companies and owned by companies in Cayman Islands represented by lawyers represented by lawyers represented by lawyers represented by lawyers that represent Sammy Chintombwa Hichilema. VERY CONFUSING
This could be a phoney coy owned by the Shushushu and because people are fed up with the once Mighty PF information is leaking like carrying water in a basket. There some people in the system who are very opposed to what is happening in the corridors of power and want to save this country from total collapse. There is no way such a reputable airline can do such mix up. There is no way people can allow this mismanagement of the country to go on unchecked. Every scheme which the PF are trying to pitch up are falling apart.
You can’t trust ECZ nor ECL/ PF,. If the suspicious equipment was kept under lock and key, it could be easily swapped. There is no honour amongst thieves.
Honestly, this seems like much ado about nothing. All the pallets with voting materials were received and validated, right? Why then does it matter if cargo belonging to different people was loaded on the same plane? This happens every day and don’t see how it can make any difference.
Did ECZ really charter the ENTIRE plane and why would it? What a colossal waste of money if it didn’t need the full space. Serious. If someone wants to rig using cell phones and accessories there are many ways to get these and can’t possibly make any difference what they arrived with or sat next to on the plane. Plus, if this the right picture, it was a passenger jet so is everyone’s baggage also being held? Better is to stay focused than jump up and down about nothing.
I hear that UP AND DOWN sent observers to Dubai, what were they observing
I just searched ZRA portal for the company. There is no Lee Bridge Ltd the only one appearing is Lee Bridge General Trading ltd. So that letter showing Lee Bridge Ltd could be fake.
When you charter a plane, it’s like you become the owner of that plane until your goods are offloaded. No other person or organisation can transport their goods without the carterer’s (you the owner’s) knowledge. This story is not adding up especially from biased and elusive ECZ
Pa ZED awe sure. That’s why it is possible to have over 40 houses without an owner. I really can’t understand why it is so difficult to get to the bottom of issues these days. Good among very important cargo that belongs to ECZ in a chartered cargo plane and the owner of the chartered goods knows nothing? Strange. I just hope someone will be brave enough to tell the truth.
Please give us a break. Zambian people are not as dull as you think. We have been down this road before where PF organizes people as far as Tanzania to claim ownership of the 48 houses and now you think we can buy that story. These companies are simply PF conduits of corruption and now coming forward to the rescue of PF to allay genuine fears of rigging. People must not under estimate PF/ECZ criminality. You are dealing with hard core criminals here.
check with pacra if the company is registered in zed and who the directors are…then check with zra that correct duty is paid and how many infinixty phone are on the market…..but ensure that the investigation is led by under 5 leader and his director for miselections and chief vuvuzela who tabled a fake letter from zesco in parliament….so that we can kick them out on the 12th first round knock out….
Who is in management or spokesperson of Lee Bridge? They cannot just be sending letters and making statements without identifying themselves besides saying Lee Management. If you have nothing to hide you need to face the people not under the umbrella of management.
I would urge the press to be clear in their reporting. What is a statement “not signed and released to the media by the company’s management”
If it wasn’t released how did you get hold of it?
This statement sounds like something Sunday Chanda would write with his thinking he’s ‘intellectual’. PF really thinks Zambians are fools. A company no one has ever heard of is telling the public :”Lee Bridge and Infinix Mobility have no role to play in Zambian Politics but business to help Zambia attain the middle income country status by investing in communication technology which is a prerequisite for economic development.” What?? What company would talk about middle income status in a press release about cargo consignment??
And this is my favorite: “We take this opportunity to urge our friends from the Fourth Estate (The Media) to verify facts before publishing them in order to avoid alarming the public like in this case.” Doesn’t this sentence sound like every other…
Upnd you have no excuses for losing the 7th time. Prepare to bury your political careers. A loser will always try and find blame elsewhere and yet the log is in their eyes
The ECZ, Emirates and this company claiming ownership of equipment shipped together with sensitive electoral materials are the potential culprits. Any decisions about what to do with the equipment/ phones cannot be made by ECZ, Emirates or this company. This decision should satisfy all the key political stakeholders in the coming elections. The correct decision is to burn and destroy these equipment and it will be up to ECZ, the company and Emirates to resolve the resulting losses!!
hahahahah
Name
Lee Bridge Solutions Ltd
Status
ACTIVE
Active since incorporation
Confirmation
Submitted
Last submitted on 10 July 2021 (24 days ago)
Next confirmation dated 10 July 2022
Due by 24 July 2022 (11 months remaining)
No changes occurred since incorporation
Accounts
Submitted
Last accounts submitted for period 31 July 2020 (1 year ago)
Accounts type was Micro-Entity
Next accounts dated 31 July 2021
Due by 30 April 2022 (8 months remaining)
Company No.
10270543
Private Limited Company with Share Capital
Incorporation
11 July 2016
Incorporated 5 years ago
Size
Micro
Less than 10 employees or under £2 million turnover
Classification
Other food service…
The problem ECZ is not transparent in its dealings. It cost them anything to be transparent and inform interested parties if they wanted to cut cost by allowing the airline to sale the extra space on the plane to other businesses. It would have created this mistrust. However, because ECZ is PF they always do thinks in the dark. Don’t be too quick to blame opposition parties. I guess any human being wouldn’t want to be in this situation.
@ndime, thanks for sharing. Hallmark of a FAKE company created for election shenanigans. With press releases that sound like PF press releases.
@11 Gm
You’re very dull…who told you that when you charter a plane you become the owner…..komboni thinking….
The only way to get to the bottom of this is to burn the material which was illegally on the plane. If ECZ wanted to bear the cost of the businessman owning the company, then both ECZ and the businessman will bear the cost. If Emirates wanted to illegally use an ECZ chartered plane to transport the materials on behalf of the businessman, then Emirates and the businessman will bear the loss of the burnt materials. If ECZ was not made aware of the arrangement to have these materials brought together with the elections materials, then ECZ should not be worried when these materials are burnt publicly to close the drama!
Emirates is an airline too big and very well managed to make such kind of mistakes.fun fact: this Airline made 29.8 billion USD while Zambia; a country made 1.94 billion USD.this means the CEO of this airline is smarter than some humble..god given annointed ..able leader etc etc. This Lee company is being used a scapegoat. The only logical thing to do is burn the contraband and ask Emirates airlines insurance policy to compensate for the loss.
LOSERS WILL ALWAYS BE LOSERS.
@GM
Your are very right; that is what the word charter means..to break it down for the simple minded chap;charter muchi tundu chako ni booking; can you book a taxi then driver Ayamba kutenga Bantu munjila..that is only possible if booking yako yenze yashota.but ECZ paid in full
How does an offender determine what the next steps should be when caught in act? Zambians be serious now. This is akin to a thief determining the length of their jail term.
Burn it all, a precedence must be set to deter would be offenders. Enough is enough
::::: and whos the owner of the 48 mansions?.
Koma this is a nightmare! PF, why are you guys doing these things? This is a gimmick and it is so clear to see. Please stop it. In fact for those of us non-partisan we are seeing a lot of things that are as pathetic as can be.