FORMER Minister of Defence Geoffrey Mwamba has denied failing to declare interest and engaging in illicit activities when he served as minister, adding that his companies have been genuinely doing business contrary to claims.
Mr Mwamba has testified that his business dealings are genuine, hence it is unfair to accuse him of engaging in unlawful transactions.
“Our companies have always been genuine in their operations and those that may want to think that we are not sincere in our dealings would be unfair to us,” Mr Mwamba, who is GBM Group of companies chief executive officer, said when opening defence this week.
He further told the Economic and Financial Crimes Court that Arizona Marketing and Food Suppliers Limited, one of his companies, has not less than 10,000 tonnes of maize worth US$4.7 million.
“We are currently sitting on not less than 10,000 tones of maize valued at US$4.7million and maize stored at our warehouse at GBM milling plait. We are not only sitting on maize, we are sitting on more than 100,000 tones of various types of beans,” he said.
Mr Mwamba said in 1995, the same company bought 10 milling plants from Government worth US$1.2 million.
He further narrated that allegations that he failed to declare interest when he was a minister are not true because he had done so.
“I consulted the Attorney Generals chambers via a phone call and they advised me that if i have anyone known to me who wants to supply the ministry(of defence) , i should declare interest in writing addressed to the permanent secretary. A few days later, i did exactly that,” Mr Mwamba, who was defence minister from 2011 to 2013, said.
He said this when he opened his defence in a case he is facing 24 counts of possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, eight counts of conflict of interest and money laundering.
In one of the counts, it is alleged that between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016, Mwamba, trading as Arizona Marketing and Distributor, possessed US$399,985 through a bank account.
It is further alleged that between January 1 and 31, 2019, the accused possessed US$499,985 through Germins Motorways Limited’s bank account.
Further, allegations are that between March 1 and 31, 2020, the accused had K10 million through his bank account held at Investrust Bank.
It is also alleged that he had another US$670,000 through his bank account, property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime, among others.
In his testimony, he narrated how he started engaging in business at age 17 until he later became an acclaimed business executive after investigating im various business ventures.
“I’m Chief Executive Officer of GBM group of companies. In the first place your honour, I’m an accomplished businessman who started business in 1996 when my father left me with a family business called Kasama Modern Bakery to run. Kasama Modern battery was the only battery in Kasama which I was running at an age of about 17. Thereafter, we engaged in trading and in 1997, I decided to leave Kasama and come to Lusaka where I opened or registered a company your called GBM food suppliers limited,” he said
He further narrated that he later bought 40 brand new flit of buses moving across the country.
(Mwebantu, Monday, 20th March, 2023)
