FIC recently released a list of names including lawyers, legal counsellors and various top law firms that are accused of money laundering. Among these, top names included Central Chambers, Makebi Zulu Advocates, Shamwana & Company etc. It is a surprising fact that majority of these law firms are either directly or indirectly owned by top government officials and even ministers. For instance, Zulu Advocates is owned by Makebi Zulu, a Parliament Minister from Zambia. Masozi M. Banda is the lawyer who topped the list of names by FIC. He is accused of laundering money via unauthorized cash transactions which amount to more than USD 1 million dollars. At the same time, he has defended himself by saying that the money is for government contracts such as road construction and has been funded by the President Edgar Lungu. However, the FIC could not find any of government activity or funds and has started investigating the transactions and its various sources.
Among these, the owner of law firm Central Chambers has also been accused of mass money laundering. Sakwiba Sikota, the long-term legal counsellor of the Ventriglias is the owner and his name in the list is not so surprising, according to the viewers. He has been previously accused of making false claims and winning cases using unethical ways. The case between the Ventriglias and Dr. Rajan Mahtani is known to everyone. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is a noted businessman with numerous successful organizations under his belt, such as Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments and Finance Bank Zambia. He is also the legal owner of Portland Cement Zambia which has been illegally taken over by the Ventriglias and Sikota is handling the case from their side.
While the fate of Portland Cement Zambia is unclear, the recent money laundering bust throws bad light on the government and its ability to nab these culprits. FIC will continue digging in the investigation and share any new news that appears from the investigation.