‘Tembo instructed me to use police letterhead’

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Mary Tembo
Mary Tembo

A WITNESS has told the Ndola Magistrate’s Court that suspended Copperbelt Province commissioner of police Mary Tembo instructed him to write a letter to Grizzly Mining Limited asking the company to repair her vehicle and another one belonging to the Zambia Police Service.
This is in a matter in which Tembo, 53, of house number 4, Bukafu Street in Ndola and plot 37 Lusaka West farms, is facing two counts of abuse of authority of office contrary to Section 21 (1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No.3 of 2012.
Superintendent Zamusogolo Njobvu, 44, of house number 187, Peter Singogo Police Camp in Ndola, told the court during examination-in-chief on Wednesday that the vehicles in question were the Nissan Hardbody registration number ABR 5688 which also had a police registration number ZP 2020B and Tembo’s Toyota Cressida registration number F100.
Mr Njobvu also told the court that Tembo also told him earlier in August last year that the operations of obtaining a vehicle from Grizzly Mining and changing ownership into her name and identifying people leaking information to the media were successful and that investigations into the matter would be launched.
He said the other officers, who were present when he was called by Tembo were Superintendent Fredrick Kabungo, Chief Inspector Chilando, and Detective Sergeant Mulenga.
“Ms Tembo called me to her office and instructed me to write a letter to the manager at Grizzly Mining asking the company to repair the two vehicles and also to inform me that the operations she had embarked on of bringing the culprits who were in the habit of leaking information to the media to book was a success,” Mr Njobvu said.
And when cross-examined by defence lawyer Milner Katolo on why he used a Zambia Police letterhead to write a letter to Grizzly Mining when he knew that there was also Tembo’s motor vehicle, Njobvu said it was an instruction and there was no way he would have refused because she was his boss.
And when further asked if he knew that the change of ownership was reverted to Grizzly Mining, Mr Njobvu said he did not know anything about that.
And defence lawyer Derrick Mulenga also asked Mr Njobvu if he knew that there were officers who were leaking information in the police on the Copperbelt, he affirmed to the fact and that Tembo had told him that Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani was aware of that problem.
Particulars of the offence are that in the first count, it is alleged that Tembo, on dates unknown but between the May 1 and June 30 last year, abused the authority of her office as commissioner of
police by obtaining a Toyota Corolla registration number AAX 5716 from Grizzly Mining, which she registered in her names thereby obtaining benefits for herself.
In the second count, it is alleged that Tembo on dates unknown but between November 1 and December 31 last year, abused her authority of office by asking Grizzly Mining to repair her personal vehicle, a Toyota Cressida registration number F100.

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