Maravi

GOVT TO RECOVER $1.2M USED TO BUY CHILUBA SUITS, SHOES

GOVT TO RECOVER $1.2M USED TO BUY CHILUBA SUITS, SHOES
Written by Sam Mujuda
Friday, December 26, 2008 11:50:22 AM

The London High Court last week heard how former president Frederick Chiluba (left) acquired expensive clothes and shoes from Swiss tailor, Antonio Basile who traded as Boutique Basile in Geneva.

In this case, judgment has since been entered in favour of the Republic of Zambia against Basile for more than US $1.2 million plus costs for money received.

Basile told the London court under cross examination by Michael Sullivan, the lawyer representing the Zambian government, that 206 suits of the rarest and most prestigious cloth were made by Italian fashion designers for Chiluba. He told the court how he took Chiluba's measurements at Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva, describing Chiluba as a man of small stature for whom clothes had to be specially made.

In addition to the suits, Basile said that he sold to Chiluba 64 pairs of hand made shoes, 185 designer shirts, numerous silk pajamas, dressing gowns and ties as well as many tailor made jackets and trousers.

Basile further told the court that former director general of the Zambia Security Intelligence Service, Xavier Chungu, informed him that Chiluba was a very wealthy man from a very rich family.

He said that he received large sums of money from the Zamtrop account and that Chungu would bring large suitcases filled with United States dollar notes, sometimes as much as US $60,000, into his shop for him. Basile consented to judgment being entered against him in favour of the Zambian government when it was revealed that he had allowed his private bank account to be used for the receipt of Zambian government money, which was then withdrawn in cash.

Basile tried to cover up the receipt of these monies by producing invoices, but these were revealed in cross-examination to be forgeries.

Labels: CHILUBA, CORRUPTION, COURTS

posted by MrK @ 11:50 AM