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A key witness in the ongoing corruption trial of former Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General, Kingsley Chanda, has provided damning testimony about the mishandling of vehicle disposals.
The witness, Suzyo Ngandu, a former ZRA Board Secretary and consultant in governance, revealed that three vehicles, which had not been advertised for sale, were instead given away—one to Catholic Archbishop Alick Banda and two to the Heart of Mercy charity organization.
Chanda is currently facing trial alongside former ZRA Director of Administration Callistus Kaoma, with both charged in 22 counts related to willful failure to comply with procedures for the disposal of 22 motor vehicles.
In her testimony before Magistrate Sylvia Munyinya, Ngandu outlined several procedural breaches discovered during an investigation spanning from 2017 to 2020.
She disclosed that a batch of 29 vehicles slated for disposal in 2017 included seven that were not advertised.
These vehicles were sold directly to ZRA staff, bypassing the proper disposal process.
Ngandu also highlighted an incident in 2018 where, despite a board-approved sale of 14 vehicles, three were not sold to ZRA staff as required but were given to individuals, including Derrick Mpundu.
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The witness further testified that by 2020, their investigation found that three additional vehicles, which should have been advertised for sale, were removed from the list and handed to Heart of Mercy and Archbishop Banda.
The testimony confirmed that these vehicles were supposed to be sold through an internal tender process, but instead, they were disposed of improperly.
Ngandu noted that the vehicle disposals were authorized by two separate boards: the first, chaired by Chileshe Kapwepwe, included members AJ Lungu, Mr. Musukwa, Shash, Pony, and Mrs. Zimba.
The second board, chaired by Bwalya Chiti, included Mr. Miti, Dr. Kalyalya, Lyamba, Mrs. Otten, and Commissioner General Chanda.
During cross-examination, Ngandu admitted to limited knowledge about specific policy details, such as whether buyers were required to collect vehicles themselves.
She also acknowledged that she was not present during many of the incidents in question and relied heavily on an investigation report, which she did not have with her in court.
Ngandu confirmed her involvement in the internal investigation but could not verify details regarding vehicle disposals, such as whether a gate pass was issued for Archbishop Banda or Heart of Mercy.
The defense questioned whether the investigation had established that Chanda personally breached procedures.
Ngandu conceded that there was no evidence implicating Chanda directly but maintained that Kaoma had violated the disposal processes.
The state requested an adjournment to file and serve additional documents.
Magistrate Munyinya granted the adjournment but cautioned that the trial must proceed without further delays. The case is scheduled to resume on September 17.
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