By Agness Changala
Former deputy inspector General of Police in charge of operations Charity Katanga says she is challenging the K26 million which the arresting officer gave to the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court as total value of the buses, because it is not correct.
This is in a case where Katanga is charged with possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime.
In her continued defence before Chief Resident Magistrates’ Davies Chibwili, Katanga said
the arresting officer in the matter valued the buses at K26 Million in Kwacha and US2 million in dollars.
She said the figures should have been put in the right context with regard to the prevailing exchange rate of the kwacha against the dollar during the period she purchased them.
Katanga said she started buying buses when the exchange rate of kwacha to dollar was K9.
She said during this period, she was purchasing the buses at intervals up to the period the kwacha moved from 9, 10, 13 and 14 respectively.
“Your honor, I would like to put it straight that the value of the buses should be viewed in the right context, the arresting officer valued the buses at K26 million kwacha and in dollars was about 2 million USD. The amount should have been viewed in the right context with regard to the prevailing exchange of the kwacha against the dollar. Such figures were alarming to everyone in court just as they were alarming to me,” Katanga said. “Just an illustration, one bus in 2017 was purchased at K1.8 million kwacha but as at now it is almost 30 million kwacha. Hence challenging the value of 26 million kwacha and casting doubt of which offence I stand accused of.”
Earlier, Katanga having saved up some money, she requested her uncle Joseph Phiri who is an entrepreneur and contractor to lend her the shortfall of K470, 000 which she advanced to Higer Buses to purchase two buses on credit.
She said the buses started operating and managed raise K1.8 Million from the operations.
Katanga said the money was not all banked as some of it was used to pay towards the purchase of the two buses.
She said seeing that the business was lucrative, she decided to get three more buses.
Katanga explained that she went back to her uncle who lent her K1, 400,300 which she pumped into the business.
She however, said the buses were jointly owned with Higer as they were not paid for in full, adding that to date, the status had not changed.
Katanga said when the buses started operating, the income was being used to liquidate the debt on the same buses.
She the buses were brand new and needed very little in terms of servicing.
Katanga said as the business grew in 2017, she engaged Higer to acquire two more buses which also started operating and generating income.
She said one of the buses was involved in an accident and Madison Insurance Company paid compensation of K1, 600,000 for it.
She said she used part of the money to replace damaged bus by paying a substantial amount to Higer for the purchase of the bus.
Katanga said the value of the last bus was slightly 3,000 USD.
“That’s how the buses were bought at intervals. I want to bring it to your attention that the value of buses should be put in the right context,” Katanga said.
She also said she is still owing Higer Buses 125,000 USD which she is still paying.
She said the buses are dotted around the country in the possession of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).
She also revealed that after the case adjourned two weeks ago, DEC took possession of four other buses and they are packed at Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).
She further said one is in Kasama while another is in Nakonde where it had a breakdown and was not worked on.
She said the last four buses are in her garage but under the control of DEC, as they could not be moved due to some minor faults.
