Maravi

Mtonga regrets receiving stolen money from Chungu

Mtonga regrets receiving stolen money from Chungu
By Inonge Noyoo
Thursday March 06, 2008 [03:00]

FORMER secretary to the treasury James Mtonga yesterday told the magistrates’ court that he regretted being a beneficiary of fraudulently obtained funds. Mtonga was testifying in the case in which MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba is jointly charged with former finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda, former secretaries to the treasury Professor Benjamin Mweene and Boniface Nonde, former chief economist Bede Mpande, former Access Financial Services Limited directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu on charges of corruption and abuse of authority.

In his evidence in chief led by state prosecutions lawyer Mutembo Nchinto, Mtonga testified that he received US $7,000 from former director of Zambia Intelligence Services, Xavier Chungu, while on government business in London. He said the US $7,000 was paid in two installments by a Mrs Kaluba who was the then manager of Zambia National Commercial Bank London branch, and was acting on Chungu’s instructions.

Mtonga said he was in London on the Zambian delegation for the privatisation of ZCCM. He said he also received a diner’s card, which he used for his transport, and other things.

Mtonga said at the time, government ministries had not reached a level of giving credit cards to its employees abroad on government business. He said the trip to London was fully sponsored by ZCCM, per diem inclusive, and that he was not entitled to per diem from any other source other than ZCCM.

He said he did not know then that the US $7,000 he had received from Chungu was fraudulently obtained as he just took it as a kind gesture by a colleague.

“I felt a fellow public officer as director general of Office of the President had given me money to assist with my upkeep while abroad on government business. I thought the assistance was in good faith at the time,” he said.

Mtonga said he only came to realise that the money was fraudulently obtained at the time the matter was being investigated by the Task Force on Corruption.

“Over the years, I came to learn of the background to the money. It did not earlier occur to me that time that the assistance I received from Mr Chungu was given to me from resources that I have now learnt were fraudulently given and on that score, I regret having received the money,” said Mtonga.

He said his relationship with Chungu was an official one - that of controlling officer to controlling officer. He said he received the money during the implementation of payments to Systems Innovations and Wilbain Inc.

Mtonga said there was a lot of pressure from the two companies to settle all financial obligations.

He said the provisions of the contract were very clear that if government defaulted, the penalties would be high.

Labels: CORRUPTION, JAMES MATONGA, XAVIER CHUNGU

posted by MrK @ 3:28 AM