Milingo lungu : $24m facts and fictions
In 2021, when UPND won the elections, Government sought to remove the court appointed liquidator at KCM, Mr. Milingo Lungu.
However, Government did not have the legal mandate or powers to remove a Court appointed Liquidator.
The Law enforcement agencies then started investigations and charged Mr Milingo Lungu with the theft of K4.4m from KCM and the being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime and seized a house worth over $750, 000 which was believed to have been bought from the K4.4m taken from KCM without authority.
POLITRICKS
In a case that looked like it was straight out of a Jefferey Archer novel on Political mingalato, the DPP offered Milingo Lungu immunity from prosecution in exchange for relinquishing his role as Provisional liquidator of KCM.
The deal was supposedly offered by State House and was a way of getting the liquidator out of the way. Were the charges genuine or bogus and used as a bargaining chip for him to relinquish his role?
We will never know, there was a public outcry that saw the
DPP removed from her office without giving her side of the story (She has asked the court to lift her oath of secrecy so she could tell it all, the court denied the request).
FACTS
Under pressure from the public, the LEAs re-opened the case and re-arrested him over the same charges. The immunity was lifted.
So, instead of prosecuting him for the crimes of theft of K4.4m and being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, the LEAs again entered into a consent Judgement for Mr Lungu to forfeit his rights to the $24m in fees that he is supposed to be paid from the liquidation of KCM.
He did not forfeit the $24m, but the right to claim his fees as provided for under the Insolvency Act of 2017.
Unfortunately, the story has generated so much interest without clarification from higher authorities (you won’t hear anyone in Government comment on it, it’s just the praise singers.
We wish the Minister could make a statement and acknowledge with proper documentation that the government or DEC has received the $24m.