Tue, 06 Dec 2016 13:17:32 +0000
By Gwendolyn Mchenga
FORMER deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications Florence Chawela and three others accused of abusing the authority of their offices when they allegedly awarded a project Management services contract of a runway at Kasaba Bay Airport to N’gandu consulting Limited without following a tender procedures have taken a fresh plea and denied the charge. Chawela and others took a fresh plea in count after Lusaka Magistrate David Simusamba allowed the State’s application to amend the charge pursuant to section 213 of the laws of Zambia. When the matter came up, the state informed the court that they had an application to amend count one of the indictment pursuant to section 213 of the laws of Zambia. The prosecutor stated that she was only adding two words to the previous charge which were awarding and signing of which the new charge read that Chawela and her former Chief Airworthiness Engineer Patrick Mulimbika abused the authority of their offices when they allegedly awarded and signed a project Management services contract of a runway at Kasaba Bay Airport to N’gandu Consulting Limited without following a tender procedures, an act that was prejudicial to the interests of the Government Republic of Zambia. In other counts Chawela, Mulimbika, Adam Daka a Chief Aerodromes Officer and Chitalu Kabalika Director of the Department of Civil Aviation denied the charge in the Lusaka Magistrates Court. The duo are alleged to have on December 31, 2009 jointly and while acting together with other persons unknown allegedly abused their authority of office by awarding a project Management services contract of a runway at Kasaba Bay Airport to N’gandu consulting Limited without following a tender procedures, an act that was prejudicial to the interests of the Government Republic of Zambia. In count three Kabalika as Director of the Department of Civil Aviation is facing a charge of abuse of authority of Office. Kabalika is alleged to have on August 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010 2013 abused his authority of office when by signing a variation Order No.1 for the project Management services contract between Ministry of Transport and Communications and N’gandu consulting Limited without following the procurement procedures an act which is arbitrary and prejudicial to the rights and interests of the Government. The matter comes up on
January 28 for trial.
