FORMER Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo has told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that he cannot account for the extra amounts attached to his pieces of land by the State which they have tabulated as the aggregate market price.
Kampyongo said he can only give a financial statement on the pocket-sized amounts he spent on the assets dotted across Lusaka.
In this case, Kampyongo and his wife Wanziya Chirwa a chief infrastructure planner at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Arts are jointly charged on eleven counts of possessing properties worth K28,701,500 suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Opening his defense before principal resident magistrate Sylvia Munyinya, Kampyongo who gave an account of his ‘success’ disclosed that he purchased the plots at an administrative price through the lands commissioner then.
The PF Shiwangandu lawmaker said that prior to serving in the portfolios of Home Affairs and Local government, he used to supply hardware and by the time he married his wife in 2006 she was already serving in the public service after graduating from the University of Zambia.
Kampyongo said he was earning a reasonable income from his business and the couple decided to develop properties in Foxdale and Meanwood Ndeke.
He said whilst serving in different government portfolios he was entitled to a monthly salary and allowances ranging from parliamentary sittings, committee sittings, upkeep, and allowances that he accrued during the course of his duty as a parliamentarian.
He said he took interest in owning land in Eureka, Chilanga district after late fourth republican president Rupiah Banda encouraged him to own land in the suburb so that they could be neighbors during retirement.
He said Banda introduced him to the owner of the land Jonathan Vanblerk.
Kampyongo said he signed an agreement for the purchase of land but the contract was later terminated.
“My comment is that with this termination, we were no longer in possession of the Baobab property,” Kampyongo said.
He said other pieces of land were offered to him by the State with the help of the lands Commissioner and he paid administrative fess in the sums of K5, 000, K10, 000 and K30, 000.
“I can only account on what I spent on the property and I can’t account for the value attached to the property by the State,” said Kampyongo.
The accused is yet to conclude his defense on February 26.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba February 21, 2024.
