Chungu, Katele, Kabwe judgment date set

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es of Zambia by mitia on 6/13/13

By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
THE Lusaka High court will deliver judgment on June 25, this year in a matter involving former directors of the defunct Access Financial Services Limited (AFSL) Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu and two others who have appealed against their five-year jail term.
Chungu, Kabwe, former Finance minister Katele Kalumba and former Finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda have appealed against a five-year jail sentence slapped on them for corrupt charges by a Lusaka magistrate’s court about two years ago.
High Court Judge-in-charge Jane Kabuka, who is handling the matter with two other judges, set the judgment date after she dismissed an application by Chungu and Kabwe.
The two had requested the High Court to grant them leave to appeal out of time against its refusal to reopen and hear their appeal case.
The appellants have said the trial court had misdirected itself when it found them guilty of the offences.
After a panel of three High Court judges Kabuka, Nigel Mutuna and Evans Hamaundu had heard and closed their appeal case and set the judgment date, Chungu and Kabwe applied to have the same appeal case re-opened.
They wanted the case to be heard for a second time, alleging that two key State witnesses were allegedly paid more than K900 million to testify against them in the subordinate court.
Chungu and Kabwe’s lawyers Robert Simeza and John Sangwa had alleged that former AFSL employees Enoch Mwale and Isaac Chitundu were paid to testify against their clients.
The lawyers said Mr Mwale was paid two instalments of more than K300 million and another K2 million, while Mr Chitundu was paid more than K650 million and another K11 million.
But the judges dismisse