‘MARY TEMBO TOLD ME TO TOW CAR TO GRIZZLY MINING’

02/04/2014

SUSPENDED Copperbelt commissioner of police Mary Tembo has refused to appear before the Ndola Magistrate’s Court, saying she was arrested in Lusaka and could only appear in the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court.

A WITNESS has told a Ndola magistrate’s court that suspended Copperbelt Police chief Mary Tembo instructed him to tow her private vehicle to Grizzly Mining Limited for repair using Zambia Police resources.
Aaron Chabililikila, 40, of 9 PHI stage three in Twapia Township who is chief inspector under the police intelligence testified that Tembo instructed him to take her Toyota Cressida to Grizzly Mining together with another police vehicle.
He was testifying yesterday before chief resident magistrate Paul Chisha.
The witness also told the court that Tembo asked him to collect documents for change of ownership of a Toyota Corolla which was donated to her by Grizzly Mining.
Tembo, 53, of 4 Bukafu Road in Ndola is charged with two counts of abuse of authority of office.
Between May 1 and June 30, 2012 Tembo is alleged to have abused her authority by obtaining a Toyota Corolla, registration number AAX 5716 from Grizzly Mining which she registered in her name.
In the second count, she is alleged to have abused her authority by attempting to get Grizzly Mining Limited, a private company to fix her personal Toyota Cressida, registration number F100.
She is alleged to have delivered the vehicle to the company using public resources along with a Zambia Police vehicle purporting that both belonged to the service.
The witness told the court that while on duty, he noticed that the tyres of the vehicle were bad and requested the accused that they needed to be worked on.
Mr Chabilikila said Tembo instructed him to take the vehicle to Grizzly mining in Kitwe together with her Toyota Cressida using the police vehicle and fuel with the help of inspector Adamson Sakala, a mechanic.
The witness said the accused after some days called him to pick up some documents from Grizzly Mining for a Toyota Corolla for the change of ownership.
In cross-examination, defence lawyer Derrick Mulenga asked the witness how the documents went missing and how the information was leaked to Muvi TV since he was an intelligence officer.
He replied that he had no clue and that police were working on identifying the police officer who leaked the information to Muvi TV.
Cross-examination and trial continue today.

Times of Zambia