Witness tells court Kambwili is principal signatory of Mwamona
By Staff Reporter
A BANK manager at Atlas Mara has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court that former Roan member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili was the principal signatory of Mwamona Engineering Technical Services bank account when it was opened in 2008 in Luanshya.
Kayanje Sylvia Munyati said this in a case in which Kambwili is charged with forgery, uttering of false documents and giving false information to a public officer in relation to the registration of Mwamona.
Giving evidence-in-chief before principal resident magistrate David Simusamba yesterday, Munyati, a bank manager at Atlas Mara formerly Finance Bank, said according to the documents which were used to open the Mwamona bank account domiciled at Luanshya , Kambwili was one of the directors of the company together with his wife Carol and his son Mwamba.
The witness said in November 2008, when she was assistant bank manager at Atlas Mara at the Luanshya branch, Mwamona Engineering opened a corporate bank account with accompanying documents which were required for it to open such an account.
She told the court that the documents were received by the branch manager and included copies of national registration cards for directors and signatories and resolutions which were signed by Carol.
Munyati said the directors of the company were Kambwili, his wife Carol and their son Mwamba.
She testified that after she took over as branch manager at Luanshya branch, the bank received an instruction letter introducing Jacob Mwanza as one of the signatories on Mwamona bank account and the same was signed by Kambwili and Carol.
Munyati said the bank also received another letter introducing Victor Siame as signatory for Mwamona bank account which was signed by Kambwili, Carol and Mwamba.
She said while Kambwili was the principal (main) signatory, his wife Carol was also a signatory who could issue instructions such as making withdrawals from the account when she was in the country.
Munyati said she has been dealing with Mwamona for 11 years now and the person she had been dealing with most was Kambwili.
She said she last dwelt with Kambwili in relation to the account about a week ago when he went to make a withdrawal at the Longacres branch where she is currently the branch manager.
Munyati said she knew Mwamba when he used to go to bank with his father as a teenager.
She explained that Mwamba later became a signatory to the account and started issuing instructions on general banking.
And when cross examined by one of Kambwili’s lawyer Keith Mweemba, Munyati said anyone with an NRC can be a signatory to an account though she was not sure about corporate accounts.
She agreed that Mwamba Kambwili and Mwamba Chishimba Kambwili was one and the same person.
She said she did not know when Mwamba was born.
When put to her that as a bank, Mwamba has never complained about forgery, Munyati responded in the affirmative but added that she did not know whether the Lunashya branch received any as where she was now at Longacres, there was none.
She said been a principal signatory does not mean one and only.
When told that if Mwamba did not qualify, the bank would not have allowed him to be a signatory, Munyati said correct.
She said all the documents presented to the bank from Mwamona are authentic.
And Munyati, when she was re-examined by deputy chief state advocate Margaret Chitundu, said she dealt with Kambwili as a signatory to the Mwamona account.
Asked to explain what she meant when she said the documents from Mwamona were authentic when they opened the account, Munyati explained that when opening an account, the bank did an entity search at the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) which shows all directors.
She said the bank is comfortable to receive the documents that they are in order because they rely on the PACRA printout.
Hearing continues on Monday.
