ZAMBIA Meteorological Department acting director Joseph Kanyanga and two others have taken fresh plea, denying charges of corrupt practices and abuse of authority of office.

Kanyanga, Overseas Mwangase and Mukufute Mukelebai took fresh plea after the matter was re-allocated to another magistrate following the death of former ZMD director Jacob Nkomoki.

Nkomoki died in September last year while trial was ongoing in the matter before High Court judge Lameck Mwale who was sitting as Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate.

Lusaka Chief Resident Magistrate Dominic Makalicha re-allocated the case before him when it came up yesterday.

It is alleged in the first count that Kanyanga, Mwangase and Mukelebai between July 2, 2014, and November 31, 2015, in Lusaka, being public officers namely; directors and senior officers respectively at the Zambia Meteorological Department, jointly and whilst acting together, corruptly solicited for 12,459 Euros each from GBMS Engineering Limited as an inducement or reward in order for them to sign the completion statement for the works that were awarded to GBMS Engineering Limited based on contract number BMZID 201197672, a transaction for the Zambia Meteorological Department, a public body.

In count two, it is alleged that the accused jointly and whilst acting together, abused the authority of their office in the manner in which they caused to be signed a memorandum of understanding between the Zambia Meteorological Department and GBMS Engineering Limited, which was solely for their benefit based on information that the data to be captured needed to be secured when in fact no security measure was incorporated in the MOU, a transaction for the MET department, a public body.

After the charges were read out to them, the three accused persons pleaded not guilty.

The matter comes up on March 7, 2022 for commencement of fresh trial.