FORMER Katuba UPND member of parliament Aubrey Kapalasa has written to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), accusing former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji and some other persons of abuse of authority.

In a letter dated August 26, addressed to ACC acting director general, Kapalasa accused Malanji, who is Kwacha PF member of parliament, Swift Cargo Limited proprietor Goodward Mulubwa and unknown police officers of abuse of authority over a car he claimed was gifted to him by Malanji but was later seized after he refused to vote for Bill 10.

“I wish to report activities of alleged abuse of office and alleged offences. Sometime in 2017 when I was a Patriotic Front member, I renovated the toilets at the Patriotic Front Secretariat as a gesture of goodwill using my own personal resources because they said the toilets were in a dilapidated state. Later on, the same year 2017, the Patriotic Front secretary general Mr Davies Mwila wanted to have the same toilets to be commissioned before the works were completed. I objected to this and this brought about a lot of tension between myself and him. In the same year, I decided to leave the Patriotic Front and joined the UPND where I was adopted to contest as MP in Katuba. Subsequently, I emerged winner of the said by-election,” Kapalasa stated.

“In 2019, whilst being a member of parliament, I met Joseph Malanji the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and we established a good relationship aside from being members of parliament. Thereafter, our friendship grew to an extent that we would even visit each other’s homes and share presents. In the same year, honourable Malanji brokered a reconciliation between myself and Mr Davies Mwila. Arising from this reconciliation honourable Malanji offered to give me a friendly gift as a token of our friendship and reconciliation. In April 2020 he hinted to me that the present will be in the form of a motor vehicle and further requested for my TPIN and other details. I then requested that I give him details of my wife because she was in need of a motor vehicle than I was. He did not object.”

Kapalasa said Malanji had expressed displeasure and disappointment at his decision not to support Bill 10 and later warned him of severe consequences.

“In July 2020 I received a call from Malanji asking me to go to his home and pick up that said gift. When I got there, I was handed over a brand-new Isuzu DMAX. Inside the said motor vehicle was a copy of the motor vehicle registration certificate (white book) which was bearing the names and details of Fanny Madzi who happens to be my wife. In October 2020 Malanji approached me and requested that I support and vote for the infamous and failed Bill 10 which was to be tabled before Parliament. Due to personal and political reasons, I declined the said request and consequently, I did not vote for the said bill 10. Arising from this hon Malanji called me and expressed serious displeasure and disappointment and he further warned me that there would be severe consequences to this effect,” he said.

“A few days later, I received an anonymous phone call from an unknown person claiming ownership of the motor vehicle that was earlier given to my wife through hon Malanji. The caller further went on to shower me with various insults and threats. I later came to discover that the said caller was Mr Goodward Mulubwa the proprietor of Swift Cargo Limited. Later on, I received a phone call from Assistant Superintendent Uyoya from Zambia police service headquarters summoning me to appear before him. When I went there, I was informed by Mr Uyoya who was in the company of other officers, that there was a complaint of theft of a motor vehicle involving the said Izuzu DMAX against myself.”

Kapalasa added that the car was seized from him by the police and that later, the ownership of the motor vehicle was changed illegally without his wife’s consent.

“The complaint lodged by Mr Goodward Mulubwa claiming that the motor vehicle in question belonged to Swift Cargo. Thereafter, the police officers requested that I hand over the motor vehicle to them for investigation, to which I objected. They later threatened me that they were going to bundle me in their vehicles so that I could lead them to where the said motor vehicle was. I was then forced to comply and later called my wife who brought the said motor vehicle to Zambia Police Headquarters. The officers then seized the motor vehicle using a seizure notice and told me that they would inform me of the outcome of the investigation upon completion,” he stated.

“When I noticed that there was no progress, my wife who was the rightful owner of the motor vehicle decided to write to the Inspector General of police Mr Kakoma Kanganja to have the vehicle released on a temporal basis as it was getting worn out where it was parked. However, there was no response to this effect and this prompted me to make a physical check-up. When I got there, I discovered that the vehicle was no longer in custody of the Zambia Police. After further inquiries, I was informed that the vehicle was released to the absolute owner who was Swift Cargo Limited. When I checked the details of the said motor vehicle in the RTSA system, I discovered that ownership was changed without the consent of my wife who was the real owner.”

Kapalasa accused Malanji, Uyoya and Mulubwa of abuse of office, forgery and uttering false documents.

“It is against this background that I am urging your able institution to investigate the following allegations: (1) Abuse of Authority of office against Mr Uyoya and other unknown police officers in the manner they arbitrary seized and released the said motor vehicle to Swift Cargo Limited without a proper conclusion to the investigation and any offences that may arise in the course of your investigations; (2) Forgery and uttering of false documents against hon Malanji and Goodward in the manner in which they facilitated the change of ownership of the said motor vehicle without consent of the real owner who is my wife,” said Kapalasa.

“(3) Abuse of Authority of office against unknown RTSA officials in the manner in which they arbitrary and fraudulently changed ownership of the said motor vehicles without following the laid down procedure; (4) Willful failure to comply with the applicable procedure by both officers from the Zambia police service and RTSA in the manner the motor vehicle was released and ownership change respectively.”