A TRANSPORT and logistics manager at Daily Nation has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that Chansa Kapijimpanga and Kelly Kapijimpanga both Directors of Seal Six Squad Services Limited deposited money that was paid to them for security services into their personal accounts.
The Kapijimpangas are alleged to have used the company’s name and staff to obtain money from Daily Nation but did not surrender the said finances to Seal Six Squad Services limited.
This is in a matter where the two brothers are facing a charge of theft by directors involving more than K52, 000
It is alleged that the two brother’s between December 21, 2019 and March 10, 2020 jointly and whilst working together with other persons unknown, being directors of Seal Six Squad Services Limited, stole K52,480 cash, the property of the said company.
Testifying before magistrate Alice Walusiku, Brian Lwando said last year he engaged the security company for its services at Daily Nation and The Lusaka Sun in Show Grounds.
Lwando said according to an agreement with the Kapijimpangas it was agreed that Seal Six Squad Services limited would provide three guards as two would man the premises during the night while one guard would man the premises during day shift.
He said Daily Nation management suggested that the parties would sign the contract after three months.
“Seven days after deploying Seal Six there was an incident at the executive directors’ residence in Foxdale and we requested seal six to provide two guards one during the day and two at night,” Lwando said. ”
Chansa and Kelly confirmed that they deployed the guards and days after the engagement I got a query from the executive director asking why she could not see an armed guard as directed. I called Seal six and they said armed guards had engagements elsewhere and they would arrange for armed guards.”
Lwando said in December Chansa demanded for payment for the services rendered and produced an invoice which had no emblem of the company.
“As Daily Nation we are strict with invoices that do not have logos so we told the directors to prepare nother invoice and they sent an invoice with a letter head demanding k11, 550,” Lwando said. “I contacted seal six and requested them to send account details they gave us a personal account Chansa said the company’s account was not in order.”
Lwando disclosed that security officers of Seal Six Squad Services started demanding payment from Daily Nation as their directors did not pay them their dues for the services rendered at the newspaper Company.
He said Daily nation terminated the services of the security company after an attempted break in at Executive Director’s residence in Foxdale and the directors were paid K11, 400.
“Chansa was displeased that the company was owing for services rendered but it rushed to terminate the services.”
Lwando told magistrate Walusiku that accountant at Daily Nation asked for a fresh invoice from Seal Six so that it could pay the balance for the services rendered in a period of four months.
He narrated that since the relationship between him and Chansa had gone sour he called the number on the invoice and another Director of the company Yousuf Badat answered.
The witness said he told Badat to send another invoice for the security services offered by Seal Six Squad Services but he expressed shock wondering why the newspaper company would request for an invoice for payment when it was not on the list of clients.
Lwando told the Court he disclosed to Badat that Seal Six was its security provider but Badat was shocked to which he decided to go to Daily Nation and proved that he was not informed of the said transactions and asked the company to suspend the pending payments to the Kapijimpangas.
“We did not follow his directive since we had engaged other directors we demanded that he gives us a solution. Chansa called me with a high tone asking why I had engaged a third party. They were exchanging the phone Chansa and Kelly demanded for the money saying they would come and get it the following day,” Lwando said.
“The following day they (Kapijimpangas) came to Daily Nation demanding for the money whilst shouting but I told them that we had been stopped from giving them money by another Director of the company. They continued making noise but I asked them to leave and called a security guard to chase them.”
In cross examination Lwando said Daily Nation is still owing the security company for the services rendered.
Trial continues on February 25.