Cops ask Andrew Banda for his shopping list

Cops ask Andrew Banda for his shopping list
By Bright Mukwasa
Fri 04 May 2012, 14:00 CAT

INVESTIGATIVE wings have asked former president Rupiah Banda's son, Andrew, to submit a long list of things he used to buy in his house, his lawyer Sakwiba Sikota said yesterday.

Investigative wings on Tuesday interrogated Andrew, who is also deputy High Commissioner to India, for allegedly soliciting for a cut from an Italian construction company, Fratelli Locci and over K195,800,000, money suspected to be proceeds of crime, allegations he denies.

Andrew failed to turn up the following day for further questioning as his lawyers were still compiling documents vital to the investigation.

But Sikota said: "They have given us a long list of things that they want to find out from him. The only things they have not asked us to provide is the grocery that he used to buy in a house, practically everything else."

Asked what things on the list investigators had asked Andrew to submit and if he was ready to furnish them, Sikota responded: "I am told everything apart from the groceries. That's why we say it is harassment, not everybody is asked to do that. Well if he doesn't, they are going to lock him up like they did Dora Siliya."

He said that was why the investigations against the Bandas were perceived as harassment as nobody else had ever been asked to do such.

He claimed the Bandas never got cleared by "this government" and it would carry on harassing them.

Investigative wings spokesperson Charity Chanda said the investigations against Andrew were still going on.