By Staff Reporter
Ronald Chitotela’s State Lodge house remains seized, says the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the stay of the warrant of seizure taken by the ACC on former Tourism minister Chitotela‘s State Lodge property, and claims in his camp, with Luapula provincial PF information and publicity secretary Fewdays Mwape, saying that the minister was celebrating the return of the property to him hours before he was arrested by the commission in Kawambwa this morning, ACC official Timothy Moono said the commission was still in possession of the property.
“The position on the warrant to seize is that the lawyers for Chitotela have applied to stay the execution of the warrant of seizure. You may wish to know that these seizures are done, the warrants are signed exparte, meaning we go to apply, the other party is not there when we do these applications. So based on the information that we give the courts, the court grants the warrant of seizure. So now this is the exparte. Now they have applied to challenge the seizure which will be done inter-party when all parties are available,” Moono said. “And the hearing has been set for next week. The commission is still in control of the seized property. We have not handed over until the determination by the court. That’s why I was saying confirm whether there is any ruling to that effect. Until the determination (shall the property be surrendered). So there is no secret this happening, no handing over. The property still remains seized until the hearing.”
And Mwape said Chitotela was arrested in Kawambwa and was taken to Mansa and that he was now enroute to Lusaka.
He said Chitotela was telling them this morning that the seized house had been returned to him and that they were even preparing to attend to a court case from the election period when ACC officials arrived to arrest him at his house.
“He even said that procedure wasn’t followed properly over the seizure of the property and that there is no way you can seize something without charging someone,” said Mwape, adding that arresting the former PF leaders would not bring food on the table.
