Ibex houses belong to Chita Lodge
THE nine flats and a house suspected to have been concealed by former Zambia Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Eric Chimese belong to Chita Lodges Limited, the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has heard.
This is according to a title deed produced by defence lawyer Kelvin Bwalya during cross examination of fourth prosecution witness Pelekelo Muyunda yesterday.
Mr. Muyunda, a former caretaker at the premises in Ibex Hill area, admitted that he could neither read nor write but he was able to read the names Chita Lodges Limited and that of its director James Chungu on both the title deed and some Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) documents.
Later, Lusaka Magistrate Nsunge Chanda overruled an objection by public prosecutor Gamaliel Zimba that Mr. Bwalya was cross-examining the witness on an unmarked document.
Ms. Chanda said in criminal law the defence can introduce documents in cross examination to build its defence before the case reaches that stage. “The documents cannot be marked at this stage but they can be identified,” she said.
Earlier, the witness said he does not know the purpose of a title deed and Mr. Bwalya put it to him that since he could neither read nor write he did not know details of the title deed indicating that Chita Lodges Limited is the owner of the property in dispute.
In this case, Chimese is charged with his wife Sharon Grey Chimese and Chungu for allegedly concealing the properties suspected to be proceeds of crime.
In further cross examination, Mr. Bwalya told Mr. Muyunda that the story he had told the court did not add up.
This was after Mr. Muyunda told the court that he worked with an electrician, Martin Chanda Mwesha who fitted chandeliers and down lights in the flats, from 2015 to 2017 when the latter testified earlier that he only worked at the premises for one week in 2018.
Trial continues tomorrow.