Africa-Press – Zambia. FORMER deputy inspector general of police Charity Katanga’s lawyer hopes his client will be prosecuted as quickly in the same manner Drug Enforcement Commission took her matter to the media.
Isaac Simbeye told The Mast that DEC had been quick in taking every little thing they were doing to the media. Simbeye said he would not discuss the offence on which his client was arrested for but prayed for justice.
“In the first place, we do not discuss these cases with the media. I just hope the way they have been quick in arresting her and making statements that they will be quick enough to take her to court so that the law can take it’s course instead of trying her in the media,” said Simbeye.”They are trying her using the media. That is unfortunate but we hope she will appear in court and will have a fair trial despite the stance taken by DEC of publicising the little things they are doing.” DEC spokesperson Mathias Kamanga, in an interview, said Katanga was arrested because she could not account for properties in her custody.
“In this case, the charge is under section 71 of the forfeiture of proceeds of crime Act. This is where you first of all find the property. We try to do what we call a Net Worth Analysis. This is when we look at all your known sources of income. How much do they amount to at a particular period. If I have worked for five years and all my income is coming to 2.5 million and then I have property in the same period that is worth maybe 10 million, then we need to question ‘where is the difference coming in?’’ he explained. “If you are failing to account they will arrest you for being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime. We may not really know what crime you were committing but the fact that we found you with properties that you cannot account for.”
Kamanga said Katanga would appear before court by next week once the Director of Public Prosecutions conclude it’s processes. On Friday, the DEC through its Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) has arrested Katanga for being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds.
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