Maravi

DEC officer narrates his team’s forced entry into Finance House

DEC officer narrates his team’s forced entry into Finance House
By Mwala Kalaluka
Tue 16 Mar. 2010, 08:00 CAT

A Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) investigation officer yesterday narrated in the Lusaka magistrates’, court how a team of 15 security officers forced a door open using a crowbar to search for documents in an office at the Mahtani Group of Companies.

This is in a case where Mahtani Group of Companies legal counsel, Zaheeda Essa and 11 other employees are charged with obstruction of authorised officers contrary to section 26 of the Prohibition and Prevention of Money Laundering Act number 14 of 2001.

The offence is in regards to the failure to furnish or produce original share transfer forms for Zambezi Portland Cement Limited.

During cross-examination led by the defence, Justin Phiri said the team of security officers, comprising 12 from DEC, one from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and two armed police officers found the main entrance to Finance House locked from inside when they arrived to conduct a search on February 16, 2010.

Phiri said before the search, he had met Essa at her office and asked her about the original share certificates entered into between Antonio Ventriglia and Finsbury Limited.

“She replied to me that the originals were not kept by her,” Phiri said.
He said Essa told her that the documents were being kept by Joana Craven of Professional Services Limited in Ndola. Phiri said when he contacted Craven he found that she was out of the country.

He said he went back to Finance House on February 15 and asked Essa to accompany him to the DEC offices as regards the investigations of money laundering.

“This time I got a warn and caution statement from her,” he said. “She denied the charge. I did not charge her for money laundering.”

Phiri said he then detained Essa and transferred her to Woodlands Police Station at around 21:20 hours.
“On the 16th we went to pick A1 Essa from Woodlands Police Station and came with her to our office. From there a team of officers was constituted,” Phiri said.

Asked why they had to constitute a team of 15 officers when Essa was already in their custody, Phiri said that is how they operated.

“We were in plain clothes. The police officers were in uniform and they were armed with guns of course,” he said. “We were going to search the office of A1 Essa.”

Phiri said around 16:41 hours, they found the main glass door locked from inside with a chain and they knocked for half an hour before one of them went to pick a crow bar from a car downstairs, which they used to force the wooden emergency exit door open.
Phiri said as soon as the door was opened one of the accused persons, Bridget Banda appeared on the scene and he later found another accused Anthony Grant seated in his office.

He said they also used a fire extinguisher to gain access to Essa’s office and one of the accused persons, Nyambe Simushi witnessed the search but they did not find what they were looking for during the close to 45 minutes search.

Phiri said some of the people that were seated in the boardroom were taken for detention to Lusaka Central Prison after collection of their personal details but they were not charged.
Trial continues.

Labels: CORRUPTION, DEC, FINANCE HOUSE, FRAUD

posted by MrK @ 5:23 AM