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Zambia: I Wanted Business With ZSIS to Continue - Kabwe
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The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
22 July 2008
Posted to the web 22 July 2008
FORMER Access Financial Services (AFS) chief executive officer, Faustin Kabwe yesterday told a magistrate's court that he wanted Zambia Security Intelligence Service (ZSIS) director general, Regis Phiri to continue handling business with his company even after former intelligence chief, Xavier Chungu left office.
He said during defence led by his lawyer, John Sangwa in the case in which he is jointly charged with former president Frederick Chiluba and former AFS director, Aaron Chungu for stealing money from the Zamtrop account that he even met Mr Phiri to ensure dealings continued.
He said Mr Chungu as outgoing intelligence chief arranged a meeting with Mr Phiri so that he could formally introduce Kabwe to his successor with regard to the relationship between ZSIS and AFS.
He said it was not a very long meeting because the two did not discuss business issues in detail although the objective of the meeting was to open an avenue of communication between AFS and Mr Phiri as the new ZSIS director general with full knowledge of Mr Chungu.
He said he wanted to ensure that the relationship between the two organisations was recognised by the new intelligence chief who like his predecessor could have had control and on what manner he wanted it to proceed
Mr Kabwe said he was ready to discuss with Mr Phiri any details he wanted although at the end of the meeting it was resolved that they would meet again.
He said during the same period he wrote a letter to Mr Phiri to let him know of the relationship between the two organisations and on some outstanding transactions that required guidance.
He said he also met Mr Phiri when he and the AFS director Chungu wrote a response to a Bank of Zambia (BoZ) inspection report after it was realised that he was supposed to be aware of the contents.
Kabwe said former ZSIS officer, late Harry Mwanawasa arranged for a meeting with Mr Phiri so that he could be given a copy of the response so that he could have an informed view of the situation.
He said that the January 10, 2003 BoZ inspection report for AFS Access Finance Leasing Company had different objectives from those that were in the letter written to directors.
He said the report did not explain the reasons for departure from initial objectives and he called it a fault finding inspection as opposed to a normal proper inspection that would cover operations.
In the past, there used to be dialogue with directors and that at one time he was summoned by the BoZ after it discovered an area of grave concern where there was an over exposure of a client.
In another matter, a witness in the case involving suspended Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Ryan Chitoba testified that the commission used to receive monthly allocations of K500 million between January 2006 and July 2006.
This is in a case in which Chitoba, his deputy Jacob Koyi and commissioner for administration and training Charles Ndulumina, are charged with 20 counts of theft of public servant after they allegedly stole over K345 million.
Mr Zebron Sibajene in charge of foreign savings and current accounts at Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZNCB) said that the DEC used to receive funding from BoZ in the range of K500 million except in one instance when it received K1 billion.
He said the money would be transferred into a DEC account at ZNCB business centre branch by cheque which was always the case.
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Asked by defence lawyer Mwangala Zaloumis, Mr Sibajene said that the transactions were seen as normal and that there was nothing irregular for the DEC to receive the funds.
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