A court was informed that investigations found no evidence of a US$250,000 deposit in the bank accounts of Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane or Infrastructure and Urban Development Minister Charles Milupi.
A cybercrimes officer testified at the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court that checks at six banks and the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) revealed no US$250,000 transfer into the accounts of Dr. Musokotwane and Mr. Milupi.Chief Detective Inspector Michael Ilishebo shared this information while testifying in a libel case involving Lumezi MP Munir Zulu.
Zulu is facing libel charges for claiming that US$250,000 had been transferred into the ministers’ accounts by an unnamed company. Zulu also alleged that Road Development Agency (RDA) board chairperson Mulchand Kuntawala had sent US$150,000 to Mr. Milupi two days before Kuntawala’s appointment as RDA board chairperson. Mr. Ilishebo, 45, explained that on March 22, 2023, he was assigned to investigate the libel case, which followed complaints from Dr. Musokotwane, Mr. Milupi, and Mr. Kuntawala.
The two ministers had complained that Zulu, in a video circulating online, accused them of receiving US$250,000 in their personal accounts. Zulu had also claimed that Mr. Milupi received money from Engineer Kuntawala before his appointment to the RDA board. During the investigation, Mr. Ilishebo interviewed Dr. Musokotwane, who denied ever receiving US$250,000. On the same day, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) issued a statement denying that it had secretly investigated the two ministers based on Zulu’s allegations.
Mr. Milupi similarly denied receiving any money from the unnamed company or from Mr. Kuntawala. Mr. Ilishebo then extended the investigation to six banks and the FIC to verify Zulu’s claims. He stated that none of the banks confirmed the transfer of US$250,000 to the ministers’ accounts. He further checked Mr. Kuntawala’s transactions, finding no evidence of a K150,000 transfer to Mr. Milupi before Kuntawala’s appointment. The highest transaction from Kuntawala’s account was only K17,000.
Source: Mwebantu
