By NATION REPORTER
CHIEF Mukuni’s great-granddaughter, Fuhana Patel, has claimed in the Lusaka Magistrate Court that former First Lady Esther Lungu coerced her into surrendering three vehicles and a house in Libala South.
Testifying before Magistrate Mbuywana Sinvula, Patel alleged that she was forced to sign the documents at midnight in the presence of four armed officers.
The case involves former Fisrt Lady Esther, police officers James Phiri and Lee Chisulo, as well as Kapambwe Lungu and Catherine Banda, all charged with theft of motor vehicles. They have denied the charges. Patel, a registered nurse from Libala South, explained that she and her husband, a businessman, had legally acquired their assets through savings, loans, and business investments.
She detailed how, on August 9, 2021, she received a distress call from her mother’s neighbors in Jack Compound, reporting that armed men were assaulting her mother, Elizabeth Chanje Phiri.
She later received a call from unknown individuals claiming to be police officers, instructing her to meet them. Upon reaching her home, she found a group of men, including Catherine Banda in handcuffs The men accused Patel of holding money for Banda, which she denied. They then searched her house without a warrant, confiscating vehicle registration documents and title deeds.
Patel testified that she was forced into a vehicle and taken to a location she later learned was the former president’s residence.
she said Ms Lungu confronted them, claiming that Banda had taken $400,000 meant for her and accused Patel’s mother of receiving part of it. She alleged that Mr Lungu later joined the conversation, urging Banda to confess.
Patel testified that on January 11, 2022, Patel and her mother were summoned to a meeting at Ms Lungu’s residence, where they were pressured to surrender their assets.
She alleged that under duress, they signed documents transferring ownership of their vehicles and house to Ms Lungu.
Patel claimed they were warned against reporting the incident.
Magistrate Sinvula, addressed concerns about an alleged loan agreement between Chief Mukuni and his granddaughter, Elizabeth Phiri which the state wanted to submit as evidence.
The document, which was reportedly used to purchase the disputed property in Libala, is set to undergo forensic handwriting analysis. The case continues in court.
