By LUCY PHIRI
THE mystery of the 48 (51) houses has continued to be unravelled in court as more witnesses point to the ownership of the property with the latest, a businessman, revealing that Charles Loyana had contracted his company to buy 24 plots.
Mr Lombe Bwalya, 47, a Lusaka businessman said Loyana engaged the company to buy 24 plots and only paid for 11 plots and was still owing for the rest.
He also said the names that were appearing on the documents of ownership of some properties were Charles Loyana who later transferred the ownership to his wife, Susan Sinkala.
He was testifying in a case in which Loyana and Sinkala are facing charges of possessing and concealing properties suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Mr Bwalya said all the receipts and documents were made under the name of Loyana before the alterations and replacing of his name with that of his wife.
He narrated that in June 2016, he was served with a warrant of access by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) requesting for information for the project he was working on.
“I was running housing projects in Chalala at that time. And in 2018 an officer from ACC came back and served me with a warrant of access on the nine properties specifically on Sinkala and Chali Chitala,” he said.
Mr Bwalya said he availed all the documentation needed on the nine properties.
Mr Bwalya said Loyana also wanted to transfer the properties into the names of his three children but was advised that it cannot be done as they were young and it was against the law.
The matter will come up on June 21, 22 and 23, 2022 for scene visit and cross examination.
