NO ILLEGAL TRANSACTIONS IN MALANJI’S BANK ACCOUNT - STATE WITNESS

ASTATE witness yesterday told the Lusaka Magistrate Court that he did not find any inappropriate transactions made by former Foreign Affairs minister, Joseph Malanji at Stanbic Bank between October 2020 and December 2021.

Mr. Eugene Kana, 38, a relationship manager at Stanbic Bank Zambia during cross examination told Resident Magistrate, Irene Wishimanga sitting under the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that he did not see any suspicious transactions in the manner Malanji was making some bank transactions.

Mr. Kana was testifying in a matter in which, Malanji and former Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba are charged with 10 counts of willful failure to comply with laid down procedures and possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Yamba is charged with two counts of willful failure to comply with laid down procedures while Malanji is facing eight counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Mr. Kana told the court that in March 2021, the Drug Enforcement Commission(DEC) officers approached him requesting for a customer mandate file and bank statements of Malanji from October 2020 to December 2021.

"We obliged and accessed the system using the user name and password to retrieve the bank statement, our system is very secure such that it cannot be accessed without a password. There were several transactions made, among them are a credit of K76, 659.44 made on November 18, 2021, a K25,127 made on October 13, 2021, another one is K123,976 made on June 2, 2021.

Other transactions include: K117, 779.40 made on March 23, 2021, K111, 541.26 made on January 13, K104, 870 which was made on December 31, 2020, K204, 500 made on October 30, 2020, K44, 299.71 made on January 18, 2021 and K21, 015 transacted on January 7, 2021," Mr. Kana said.

When asked by the defence lawyer, Mr Makebi Zulu of Makebi Zulu Advocates if there was anything wrong or suspicious with transactions made, the witness said there was nothing wrong with the transactions according to his knowledge.

"I would love to tender the bank statement and the mandate file as part of my evidence before the court," Mr. Kano said.

It is alleged in the first count that between January, 1, 2020 and August, 31, 2021 at Lusaka, being Secretary to the Treasury, Yamba with other persons unknown did willfully fail to comply with the law in the manner he allegedly allocated and authorized the transfer of K108, 401, 197.00 to the Zambian Mission Account in Turkey for the procurement of real estate among others.

It is also alleged in the other counts that Malanji between January, 1, 2020 and August, 31, 2021 in Lusaka possessed a Bell 430 Jet Ranger Helicopter, property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime.

The court has since adjourned the matter to June 18, 2024 for continuation of trial.