By GRACE CHAILE LESOETSA
LUSAKA businessman, Harry Findlay has sued Government in the High Court seeking a declaratory order that the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), unfreezes his bank accounts held at First Alliance Bank (Z) Limited.
Mr Findlay has petitioned the Lusaka High Court together with his wife Dessislava Findlay, and D. Findlay and Associates as first, second and third petitioners.
Others are Twatotela Properties Limited, Chrismar Earth Moving Equipment Limited and Greenview Service Providers Limited as fourth, fifth and sixth petitioners respectively.
The Attorney General is cited as the respondent in this matter. According to a petition filed in court on Monday, Mr Findlay states that on August 16, just after the announcement of the 2021 general elections, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) directed the freezing of bank accounts held at First Alliance Bank without any formal communication to the petitioners.
The said accounts are Harry Findlay account no.0010010071003, Dessislava Findlay account no. 0010010271037 and 0010010271002.
Other accounts are Twatotela Properties Limited Kwacha account no.101023160002 and D. Findlay and Associates Kwacha account no. 1010231001 and 1010231004, Chrismar Earth Moving equipment account no.0010102264001 and account no.0060700335001 belonging to Green View Service Providers limited.
Thus, the petitioners seek a declaratory order that seizure notice issued by DEC on the petitioner’s bank accounts with First Alliance Bank subject to the seizure notice without reasonable ground to believe that the funds in the accounts in question are acquired from money laundering are illegal, wrongful and breach of their constitutional rights.
Mr Findlay and his wife also want Government to compensate them for the deliberate, unlawful entry and search on their private dwelling in New Kasama and at Langani Ranch in their absence.
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