DIRECTOR of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lilian Siyunyi says her office has studied Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) provisional Liquidator Milingo Lungu’s docket and is in the process of preparing documentation to file in court.
And Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations officer Mathias Kamanga says the Commission would not have arrested Lungu if it did not have evidence.
In an interview, Siyunyi said her office had not encountered any challenges so far on the matter.
“My office has studied the dockets and is in the process of preparing documentation to file into court. So in that respect, the office will only interface with the Court when we do that. The matter is not before court at all and so far, there are no challenges that we have encountered,” said Siyunyi.
And when asked if the Commission had sufficient evidence to take Lungu to court in a seperate interview, Kamanga responded in the affirmative.
“We wouldn’t have arrested if we didn’t. For us our role ends at arresting and submitting the docket to NPA,” said Kamanga.
There was drama at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday when the KCM provisional liquidator appeared at court only to be told that his docket was missing.
Milingo, who appeared at court in the company of his lawyers Sakwiba Sikota, Makebi Zulu and Moses Chitambala, was recently arrested by the Drug Enforcement Commission and charged with theft and money laundering involving K110.4 million and US$250,000.00.
Lungu, 43, has also been charged for obtaining US$2.2 million by false pretense.
He was released on police bond and ordered by the prosecution to appear in court on October 12, 2021.
However, when he appeared at court on that day, the prosecutor in the matter, Lewis Kandele, called the defence lawyers outside the courtroom to inform them that the indictment in the matter was not ready.
The defence counsel later returned in court and wondered why the prosecutor was not before court when it was time to allocate the matter.
Sikota addressed the court and lamented that it was not right for the state to be absent after asking their client to appear in court.
“Our client was given this date to appear before the court. He has come as ordered by the state; it is not right for the state not to be present and to explain to the court as to why we are not proceeding,” he said.
Another prosecutor who was present, Stuyvesant Malambo, told the court that Kandele only showed up to advise that the case was not ready.