Marshland bosses’ case unravels

A WITNESS has testified against one of the Marshland Consortium Limited directors, Tobias Milambo in the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Shadreck Duma, an assistant property valuer, told the court yesterday that Milambo allegedly instructed him to write and sign a letter addressed to Professional Insurance Authority (PIA), which purported to show that Chikwendo & Associates had conducted a search on a property belonging to Milambo at the Ministry of Lands when in fact not.

Mr. Duma testified that Milambo also forced him to sign another document after telling him not to worry as his boss, Clement Chikwendo was aware of it.

This is in a case Milambo, 48, a chartered insurer of Woodlands, Nachi Musonda, 33, an insurer of Chongwe, and Richard Lubermba, 31, an insurer of Chalala have been charged with 15 counts of forgery, obtaining money by false pretences, and uttering false documents, among them Ultimate Insurance Company Limited shareholder resolutions.

The witness said on February 9, 2018 he received a call from Milambo who needed services from Chikwendo and Associates of inspecting his property and asked that the two go together to Chinyunyu in Kafue where the property was located.

Mr Duma said when they got there, Milambo told him that the land in question was seven hectares and had structures on it.

He said after finishing inspecting the property Milambo told him that there was another adjacent bare land which was also seven hectares and told him to add it to the other.

He said he took pictures of the structure and the land, took field notes and took the same with the document he was given from the council to Mr Chikwendo who prepared the evaluation report Milambo wanted.

He said the report was given to Milambo on February 14, 2018 but a few days later Milambo called and told him that the evaluation report had been rejected by the PIA because it did not want the two seven-hectare portions of land to be added together.

Mr Duma said later there was a meeting at PIA which he attended with Mr Chikwendo to look at issues of the extent of land and value and after the meeting a second evaluation report was ready on March 22, 2018.

He said when he called Milambo to collect the evaluation report, he told him to take it to PIA and give it to a Mr Chitoshi which he did.

Mr Duma said that on March 23, 2018 Milambo called him and told him that there was a letter which he wanted him to sign for him which had to do with doing a search at the ministry of

Lands.

Mr Duma said that on February 1, 2021 he received a call from the police telling him that they would need him to go to their office so that he could help them with the evaluation report which they had. He said the police had two reports on one property done by his company.