THE Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has heard that court officials were supplying cocaine to a businessman who trades at Katondo Street to sell and would get a commission.
Siavonga magistrate Victoria Chitulangoma, who was sitting in Lusaka, heard this when trial in the matter in which court officials Emmanuel Chirwa, Bearvan Mengo, Mathews Mukanda, Victor Nzaila, Florence Mushoka, O’Brian Muyunda and Didie Kangwa a senior clerk of court together with businessmen Eric Chipango and Emmanuel Chimba are charged with drug trafficking in 24 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Chirwa is further slapped with a charge of trafficking in 4.5 grammes of cocaine and theft of the same drugs.
Allegations are that all the accused committed the offences between April 1, 2017 and September 14, 2018.
Testifying in a packed courtroom, Charles Nkhuwa narrated that last year in August, he used to be found with Chipango – one of the accused persons – at Katondo Street.
He said Chipango received a phone call and then asked him to accompany him to meet some people at Down Town.
Nkhuwa said he got into Chipango’s vehicle and they drove to Down Town where they met with people who were in a black unregistered Mercedes Benz, parked at Petroda Filling Station on Kafue road.
He said there were five people in the black Mercedes Benz who included, Chimba, Nzaila and Muyunda.
Nkhuwa said Chimba then introduced him to Nzaila and Muyunda, saying they were his friends from the courts and that the witness and Chipango were from Katondo.
He said Chimba told all the parties to be free and at that point, Nzaila who was in front of the vehicle removed a plastic bag from under the seat and opened it, saying there was business.
And the court heard that Nzaila and Muyunda had pressure and needed to sell the drugs quickly so Chimba got the cocaine from them at K80,000.
He said he was told the cocaine was a kilogramme
Nkhuwa said after talking to Chimba, he met the latter who was in the company of Muyunda at Zingalume where they weighed 100 grammes of cocaine and gave him to sell and the agreement was that the witness would get 10 per cent.
He said he sold the the 100 grammes of the drugs at Katondo for K15,000 and got a commission of K1,500 which he shared equally with Chipango.
Nkhuwa said he shared K750 each with Chipango because he was the one who introduced him to Chimba.
He said he was again given another 100 grammes of cocaine and shared the proceeds as the first time.
It was also heard that the witness was given a further 100 grammes to sell and like before, they shared the proceeds with him getting 10 per cent which he shared with Chipango.
Nkhuwa told the court that as days went by, there was trust between him and Chimba and he disclosed to him that the cocaine was being supplied by the court officials.
Hearing continues.