The recent investigation by Financial Intelligence Centre has sent the Zambian nation in a fizz. As per the reports released by FIC, numerous lawyers and legal counsellors have been accused of laundering money worth more than USD 1.5 billion.
Some of the top names in the list included those of Masozi M. Banda and Sakwiba Sikota. Both of these lawyers have been accused of laundering money worth more than USD 1 million. Masozi M. Banda is a noted lawyer working with Avic International. When confronted with the accusations, he simply stated that the money belongs to Edgar Lungu, the President who has established a dictatorship in Zambia, and Banda is just a conduit in this money laundering scheme. At the same time, he also defended the money in his accounts by saying that the money is for government activities such as the construction of roads. However, neither the FIC nor the government is buying this defence and he has been kept under watch by the investigative agency. Another name which made headlines was of Sakwiba Sikota, the owner of Central Chambers. He is more infamous for his relationship with the Ventriglias. Sikota has been handling majority of the cases of Ventriglias, most famous and long-running among them being the case of Portland Cement Zambia. The cement factory legally belongs to Dr. Rajan Mahtani, a noted businessman and philanthropist. The factory was illegally taken over by the Ventriglias and when Dr. Mahtani launched a case at the Lusaka High Court, Sikota was appointed as the lawyer for the Ventriglias in this case. It has been 10 years since and no final judgment has been announced.
This clearly indicates the lack of government’s authority and ability in detecting crimes or malpractices and giving justice to those who really deserve. Just like Dr. Rajan Mahtani, rest of the Zambian citizens deserve justice which can only be achieved when all the money laundering culprits are given strict punishments by the law.