WIFE of former Lusaka province minister Bowman Lusambo, Nancy has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that she was shocked when she learned that the houses which her husband owns in Silverest Gardens were registered in her names.
In her defense, Nancy told Lusaka magistrate Faidess Hamaundu that it would be difficult to explain about her acquisition of the houses as she never paid for them nor did she engage with the sellers, Henan Gouji.
“It will be very difficult for me to comment on the houses in Silverest Gardens in the sense that I have never dealt with the owners and I don’t know them. I do not have any business to do with the Silverest Gardens,”Manase said.
“I have never gone there as Nancy Natasha Manase for any business agreements. In short, I don’t know anything to do with Silverest Gardens.”
When asked by her lawyer Likando Kalaluka if she paid for the properties, Manase said she never paid for the properties.
Asked why the properties were registered in her names Manase said ; “I am shocked! I am seeing these documents for the first time and I am not aware of the payment because I have never paid these kinds of monies.”
When asked to confirm if at all it was her names indicated on the properties, Manase responded in the affirmative.
“I am still shocked. The comment still stands that I did not pay the money. I can confirm it’s Nancy Natasha Manase,” she said.
Manase confirmed that she opted to remain silent when she was being quizzed by the Anti-Corruption Commission officers because she knew nothing about the properties.
During cross examination by Daniel Ngwira, the Bulldozeress said she was asked if the receipts were collected by ACC officers and she responded in the affirmative.
Asked if she personally saw ACC officers collect the receipts from their home, Manase confirmed.
When told to explain some features on the receipts, Manase said; “the ACC were just picking things everywhere. They never called me to see what they got but they got a lot of receipts and documents.”
“I did not see the receipts but I saw a lot of receipts. They (ACC officers) were alone when they were collecting. And I was alone. My husband was out.”
When asked if she alerted Lusambo about what happened, Manase said she told him that ACC collected everything.
She said she could not confirm that Lusambo acquired properties without informing her.
When asked how many properties Lusambo had acquired during the subsistence of their marriage, Manase said she cannot tell.
Earlier in re- examination, Lusambo said he had the right to register the properties in his wife’s name, as he shows regard for her as the mother of his children.
“I told Henan Gouji officers to put these properties in my wife’s name and the document before court is not a receipt. It’s a statement and if it was a receipt, it could have shown my name. I have the receipts in my house, under my name,” he said.
He said he paid $30,000 and a Jeep grand Cherokee for the properties.
Asked why he said that he does not know where his wife got the money to pay for the properties, Lusambo explained that; ”I responded that I don’t know because earlier I told this court that I paid this money and I gave a vehicle, a jeep, white in colour which was treated as cash to Silverest gardens and I said I was paying for the four houses in one basket.”
He said following their union, the couple became one in marriage hence whatever belongs to him also belongs to his wife.
“I told this court that I know my wife very well. I’ve been with her for more than 24 years. She is trustworthy and I know I am the one who paid and not her. And this money came from businesses and other sources. So it is money from me and so by virtue of that, it is our money. She is the mother of my kids and I respect her,” Lusambo explained further.
Lusambo said he did not threaten anyone at the Ndola City Council with a transfer as he was not a minister during the time he is alleged to have acquired land.
“A minister has no right over any human resource. And during the period under review, I was a PF candidate, I had no authority to hold a meeting,”Lusambo said.
When asked why he did not produce receipts for his properties, Lusambo said ; “Sometime in 2021 to 2022, ACC officers led by Christopher Siwakwi pounced on my house in Chamba Valley and got all the receipts and documents. They also got my wife’s phone and the unused phones. So I had no sight of the receipts because they are in the custody of the ACC.”
He further clarified that he was paid $350,000 by Mimbula Consortium Limited in by the Chief Executive Officer in cash.
Lusambo said his fancy Chamba valley house is not valued at K17,600,000
“I bought my plot at K75,000. And from the time I started building that house in about 2012, cement was about K5. So, the cost of the house could not reach this house. I also engaged an independent evaluator,” said Lusambo
Lusambo is facing 10 corruption-related charges among them; one count of corrupt acquisition of public property, five counts of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy to defraud.
He is jointly charged with his wife Nancy Manase for possessing four houses in Silverest Gardens, Chongwe which were suspected to be procceds of crime.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba September 13, 2024.
