By DELPHINE ZULU –
A WITNESS has testified that he was directed by former Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Annie Sinyangwe to facilitate the commencement of works at Cabinet car park by Maoonstone Investment Limited valued at K89,000 000.
Sinyangwe, 48, of Lilayi Airstrip area, is charged with failure to comply with the law and applicable procedure relating to procurement.
She is alleged to have between January 1, 2012 and August 31, 2012 willfully failed to comply with the law and applicable procedure when she was Permanent Secretary for Administration at Cabinet Office.
Chimpita Phiri, an administration officer at Cabinet then told Magistrate Lameck Mwale that he was called in March 2012 by Ms Sinyangwe in her office in the company of Director Human Resources Binwel Mwanza and a Maoonstone Investment Limited representative.
“I was introduced to him and was asked to facilitate the said works, the meeting concluded and when we reached outside the gentleman told me he was ready with tools and I took him round to get measurements,” Mr Phiri said.
He said days later, he took the quotation of K89, 208, 454.60 and when he showed it to Mr Mwanza he said it was on a higher side and asked him to with hold it until they consulted the Permanent Secretary before works could start.
Mr Phiri testified that two days later, he was called by the Permanent Secretary and found the same people.
When queried about the quotation, he informed Ms Sinyangwe that it was in his office because Mr Mwanza advised him to wait for guidance.
“She questioned why I was keeping it in the office because it was not addressed to him so I then proceeded to my office to get the quotation, gave it to her and left her office,” he said.
Another witness, Maoonstone Investment Limited representative, David Kabuswe ,37, told the court that he knew about the works when he went to Cabinet with former President Rupiah Banda’s administrative officer Mikatazo Wakumelo for further instructions over renovation of Mr Banda’s house.
“ It was during this period of getting instructions that we were told to take a quotation to pave the Cabinet Car Park by the PS, we were then introduced to Mr Phiri and were told that works could only commence after confirmation,” Mr Kabuswe said.
He said on June 1 2012 he was called to pick a contract and works were done within 10 days with a full payment made.
Trial continues today.