Maravi

MoH paid Kapoko for workshop which didn’t take place - witness

MoH paid Kapoko for workshop which didn’t take place - witness
By Namatama Mundia
Fri 05 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT

A WITNESS yesterday told the Lusaka Magistrate Court that the Ministry of Health paid its former human resources officer Henry Kapoko over K200 million for a workshop which did not take place.

In this case, Kapoko and nine others are charged with theft by public servant, theft and money laundering amounting to over K4 billion.

Apart from Kapoko, others charged in the offence involving monies paid to Royal College of Business and Management Studies for training workshops include Nobert Peleti, Zukas Kaoma, Valenta Miyoba Chizhyuka Nkhata, Abigail Nzala, Nkhata Kapinda and Enala Matutu Phiri.

Others are Vincent Luhana, Evaristo Musaba, Dr Chrispin Sichone and Christopher Bwalya.

When the matter came up for continued trial, Ministry of Health cashier Danstan Mwansa, 43, told the court that he was last year summoned by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) where he was shown two documents.

He said one of the documents was a voucher which was in connection with a payment which was made to Royal Secretarial College.

“I recall that the voucher was brought to my office by Mr Kapoko and he was alone when he gave me the document, the payee on the voucher was Royal Secretarial College and the amount is over K700 million,” he said.

Mwansa said the voucher was checked by George Zulu and it was passed by the former.

He said he gave the voucher back to Kapoko after he signed it.

Mwansa said ACC also showed him a backing sheet which had five payments.

He said the backing sheet had a payment for Royal Secretarial in the amount over K700 million while the imprest for the workshop was over K200 million.

Mwansa however, told the court that he did not see the voucher for the imprest which was in his name and that he just received a call from the principle accountant, a Mr Kaoma A 2, that there was a payment coming.

“Mr Kaoma told me there was imprest in my name and that cheque was brought to me in town by Mr Kapoko and that time the backing sheet had already gone to the bank,” he said. “I took the cheque to the bank and we cashed the money.”

Mwansa said he received another phone call from Kaoma instructing him not to give the money to Kapoko who brought the cheque but that he takes it to his office.

He said the officers who were supposed to attend the workshop were supposed to get K1,250,000 for 15 days.

Mwansa said he gave Kapoko, the coordinator for the programme, about K46 million to pay those who were not from the Ministry of Health.

He said he has not seen the acquittal sheet since last November.

Mwansa said he did not attend the workshop because they were not called by the coordinators.

During cross examination, Mwansa said he signed on the voucher because it was part of the process for completing a voucher.

He said there was nothing sinister about him signing the voucher.

Mwansa said he had not refunded the K1,250,000 he received for a workshop which has not yet taken off up to now.

He said he passed the payment because everything was okay.

In re-examination, Mwansa said Kapoko was transferred at the time he brought the cheque to him.
The matter has been adjourned to November 18 for continued trial.

Labels: CORRUPTION, HEALTHCARE, HENRY KAPOKO, MINISTRY OF HEALTH

posted by MrK @ 6:50 AM