SG’S $100,000 HOUSE BUY ABOVE BOARD – LAWYERS

By Agness Changala Solicitor General Marshal Muchende's lawyers have responded to the US$100,000 property he bought for his mother Dorothy Munkombwe, in Lusaka’s Kabulonga area saying it was genuinely acquired. Sources say the house in question is the same one that has been placed on restriction order by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), who are also investigating the thousands of Dollars which flowed into Muchende’s account plus other transactions, including from Makeni Gardens owned by prominent businessman James Ndambo. But Muchende’s lawyers have argued that the transactions were above board born from the Solicitor Generals’ honest hard work. Speaking with Daily Revelation, Muchende’s lawyer Keith Mweemba defended his client saying everything he did was above board and that he had done nothing wrong. Asked about information that the ACC was investigating Muchende for allegedly receiving $500,000 Dollars from a named liquidator, Mweemba said his client had never received any money from a named liquidator. “First of all, there was no money which was received from a named liquidator and any transactions which you are going to see are traceable from a legitimate source. Bank statements are there and will show financial transactions,” Mweemba said. He said the property in question which was on stand number Kab/ 100/697 Ibex Hill held under the titles Alibarkat Rawjani and was situated at National Housing Authority (NHA) Complex in Ibex. Mweemba said it was normal for the ACC or any other law enforcement agency to investigate a matter that had been taken to their attention. “Because it is only through investigation that a matter can close if one is innocent or effect an arrest if that person has offended the law,” he said. Asked to explain the flow of thousands of Dollars into his client’s account which sources allege he used to buy a house for his mother, Mweemba said his client has a law firm with several clients. He said the law firm was owed money by various clients. Mweemba explained that after Muchende was appointed to his current position, he left active practice and asked all those who were owing him to pay. He said among the many clients that owed him were prominent businessman Ndambo Ndambo. Asked how much Ndambo Ndambo owed Muchende, Mweemba said he could not go into such details as they violated the client lawyer relationship that existed between him and his client. “We can’t go into those details. Mr. James Ndambo Ndambo has a reputation to protect, and this would violate the client lawyer relationship that existed between the two. The people who were owing were requested to settle what they were owing and one of his clients is Mr. James Ndambo,” he said. “Otherwise, records and bank statements are all there. Like I have said, the law firm was owed money from various clients and these clients were requested to settle as he was transitioning after he was appointed.” He insisted that there was nothing wrong his client had done in this transaction. Asked why his client had not resigned from his position since the ACC was investigating him in keeping with President Hakainde Hichilema’s claim that he would ask public officials who were under investigations to step aside, Mweemba said the investigation arose as a result of someone giving information to the investigative agency. He said at this stage, he could not ask his client to step down or aside because it was just an allegation. He wondered how many times people would resign just based on unsubstantiated allegations. “That’s just an allegation. Every allegation that comes people should be stepping down then reinstated when cleared,” he said. “I don’t know which country does that. That should be utopian society. As far as we are concerned, our client has not done anything wrong. We are ready to be interviewed anytime about how that property was acquired.” Sources last year disclosed to Daily Revelation that the ACC was investigating Muchende for allegedly receiving over $500,000 from a named liquidator as a bribe. But ACC has refused to disclose the nature of investigation against Muchende prompting Economic Front (EF) leader Wynter Kabimba to sue the Director General Thom Shamakamba in the Lusaka High Court to compel him to disclose the nature of investigations being conducted against the Solicitor General