The state has joined Chishimba Kambwili’s son, Mwamba, Mwamona Investments and two others to a case in which the NDC leader is charged with being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime, uttering a false document and obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretenses.

And the state has increased the number of counts from 36 to 39 counts.

According to the new indictment, Chishimba Kambwili, Mwamba Kambwili, Mwamona ENG and Tech Services Ltd, Lukwesa Musonda Brano and Mulenga Makasa Kapilima are charged with; one count of making a document without authority, one count of uttering a false document, two counts of obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretenses and 35 counts of being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

One of the offenses on the indictment is that on August 18th, 2016, Kambwili had K495,000 in his account suspected to be proceeds of crime. The Roan Member of Parliament is in another count accused of having been in possession of K180,000, property suspected to be proceeds of crime. In another count, Kambwili is alleged to have been in possession of money amounting to K220,000 in his personal bank account. And on May 15, 2015 Kambwili is alleged to have been in possession money amounting to K640,000. All the money mentioned in the thirty-five counts is said to have been in an account that is domiciled at the Zambia National Commercial Bank and at First National Bank Zambia.

And when the matter came up for commencement of trial before magistrate Mwaka Mikalile, the state made an application to substitute the indictment with a fresh one.

And before the accused could take plea, the state announced that there were other people who they wished to add to the case.

“Before he takes plea, there are other people who we wish to add and in that regard we seek to call them; Mwamba Kambwili, Mwamona ENG Ltd, Musonda Brano and Mulenga Makasa Kapilima,” he said.

Once the other accused were called, Kambwili’s defence lawyer Gilbert Phiri observed that the representative of Mwamona was not present in court as he had not yet been served with the summons.

Meanwhile, Boniface Chiwala, representing ACC, said the accused could not take plea due to the absence of the Mwamona CEO.

He asked that the case was adjourned.

“Due to the absence of the CEO of Mwamona, the accused before you cannot take plea. We apply that the matter comes up on Friday next week,” he said.

Magistrate Mikalile then adjourned the matter to June 15, 2018 for plea.