‘I want my money’
...UPND, HH in trouble over K400, 000 debt
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, his Secretary General Steven Katuka and two others have been dragged to the Lusaka High Court for refusing to pay K400, 000 they owe a Lusaka resident since 2017.
The alleged payment is for the supply of 200, 000 tickets for the National Card Renewal exercise costing K400, 000.
Prince Siame and Prospect Tech Limited cited Mr Hichilema, Mr Katuka, Mirriam Masando in her capacity as organising committee chairperson (card renewal) and the UPND registered trustees as the defendants in the matter.
Mr Siame wants a court order that the UPND be declared bankrupt for failing to pay its debt and that the party be dissolved and deregistered.
He also wants an order for payment of K400, 000 plus 30 percent interest amounting to K120, 000.
Mr Siame wants damages for breach of contract among other claims.
According to his statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, Mr Siame stated by a written agreement made between him, his company and the defendants on March 16, 2017, Mr Hichilema and the others contracted him to print 200, 000 tickets costing K400, 000.
“The defendants also requested for a gratuitous whopping 50, 000 tickets on the gratuitous terms known as ‘Mandela’,” read part of the claim.
Mr Siame claimed that according to the information supplied together with the request, Mr Hichilema was supposed to be the guest of honour at the said event.
He stated that he will tell the court at trial that he and his company delivered the tickets within the agreed period and demanded for payment but Mr Hichilema and the others requested for more time to pay but never did.
Mr Siame claimed that on about November 15 2017, the defendants having lamentably failed to settle and after several broken promises, Ms Masando issued a written promise to pay the outstanding amount together with 30 percent interest.
He however started that despite committing to pay by Friday, November 17, 2017, the defendants still failed to pay the debt and to date the outstanding amount of K400, 000 and the 30 percent interest remains unpaid.