A Lusaka businessman has told the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court how his business partner introduced him to a cocaine business involving court officials.
Charles Nkhuwa, 44, a car and phone dealer on Katondo street in Lusaka, told the court that during a business transaction, a court official had one kilogramme of cocaine.
The witness was testifying in a matter seven court officials at the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court and two business men are facing six counts of trafficking in narcotic substances and theft of 24 kg of cocaine exhibits.
In this matter, businessmen, Eric Chipango and Emmanuel Chimba were jointly charged with seven court officials for trafficking in 80.11 grams of cocaine without lawful authority.
The other accused people are: Bevan Mengo, 33, Matthews Mukanda, 29, Victor Nzaila, 31, Florence Mushoka, 36, and O’Brian Muyunda, 30, all court interpreters and Didie Kangwa, 39, a senior clerk of court.
The matter came up for trial before Magistrate Victoria Chitulangoma.
In his testimony, Nkhuwa told the court that in August last year, he received a phone call from Chipango.
“He [Chipango] asked me to accompany him to meet some people at Downtown Mall where we found people in a Benz,” he said.
At Downtown near Petroda Filling station, Chipango introduced five people, among them Nzaila, Muyunda and Chimba, to Mr Nkhuwa and Chipango.
“Emma [in reference to Chimba] then said that ‘Guys, let us be free because these[businessmen] are from Katondo street while these[among them Nazila] are from the courts,” Mr Nkhuwa said.
He said at this point, Nzaila then removed a black plastic underneath the car seat which contained “Yellow”.
Asked what he meant by yellow, Nkhuwa told the court that it is a “street name” for cocaine.
He said the people in the car told him and Chipango that “we have brought business [suspected cocaine] and we want money”.
Nkhuwa said that it was agreed that he would find customers to buy the cocaine.
He said later that day, Chimba phoned him and told him that he collected the cocaine from the court officials because they seemed to be under pressure to sale the cocaine.
“He [Chimba] told me that he gave them [court officials] K80, 000 for the cocaine which weighed one kilogramme,” Mr Nkhuwa said.
He said on three occasions, he collected 100 grammes of cocaine from Chimba for sale.
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