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FORMER president Edgar Lungu’s daughter, Tasila, owns fish ponds in Sinda district, Eastern Province, constructed at over K13.9 million.

However, the State has instituted proceedings before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court to have those fish ponds forfeited to the State.

Between 2016 and 2021, Tasila was Chawama Constituency’s Nkoloma ward five PF councillor.

She is now Chawama PF member of parliament.

According to Beston Kajoba, a director of finance at the Lusaka City Council, Tasila attended 35 meetings during the time she was a councillor between 2016 and 2021 and was paid sitting allowances at a rate of K350 per sitting and transport refunds were paid at K60 within the radius of 25 Kilometers.

For the 35 meetings, Tasila amassed allowances cumulative to K12, 550 and K2, 100 for transport refund.

She was entitled to a monthly allowance of K3, 000 and the total allowances paid to her from 2016 to 2021 amounted to K154, 200.

Tasila had one trip to Rwanda and was paid K16, 116.41 and from the summation of all her allowances and earnings between 2016 and 2021 was less that K184, 966.41.

During the 2021 general elections, her asset declaration form indicated that she had assets worth K6, 130, 505.58 and an inspection at the ZRA revealed that she had no other income generating activities.

According to an analysis of her known income and known expenditure between June 11, 2015 and August 31, 2021, she had an income of K867, 800.08 against an expenditure of K502, 833.67, with a variation of about K364,966.41

Now, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Gilbert Phiri has filed four originating notices of motion for an application of a non-conviction-based forfeiture order of tainted property pursuant to Order 30 Rules 15 and 17 of the High Court Rules, read together with Sections 29 and 31 of the forfeiture of proceeds of crime Act no. 19 of 2010.

This implies that Tasila will give up on her properties, without being subjected to trial.

According to an affidavit sworn on behalf of the DPP by Emmanuel Khondowe, a senior investigations officer at the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) under the anti-money laundering investigations unit, the DEC in May 2022 received information from a reliable source that politically exposed persons had illegally obtained property across Lusaka.

Khondowe said he investigated Tasila and established that farm no. F/2278 in Sinda district had fish ponds constructed at K13, 950, 378.83.

He said he looked into Tasila’s financial capacity and according to her bank mandate at ABSA, there were debit entries worth K502, 833.67 and credit entries worth K502, 833.67 as credit and debit turnover.

“A comparison of her income against the property valued at K8, 840, 098.00 showed a variation of about K7, 972, 297. 92 above her known income. There was a big gap between her known income and what she declared,” said Khondowe said.

By Mwaka Ndawa

Kalemba June 21, 2023
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