ATTORNEY General Mumba Malila is determined to see Henry Banda, the fugitive son of former President Rupiah Banda, stand trial and answer charges of various ‘white-collar’ crimes despite Interpol’s reported decision to drop him off the “red alert” list.
Mr Malila said his office shall not publicise what it is doing to bring Henry, who is holed up in Johannesburg, to book but it will continue working ‘quietly’ until he stands trial for a litany of crimes.
“We are not bothered about Interpol removing him from the red alert list,” Mr Malila said in an interview yesterday. “We will catch Henry one way or another and he will answer the criminal charges against him…he can’t run forever, he must answer for his deeds.”
Mr Malila was reacting to reports circulating in tabloid South African newspapers which state that Henry’s lawyers have ‘toasted’ what they are calling a first victory—the removal of Henry from an Interpol database.
“We have been working quietly on this matter and will continue to do so,” Mr Malila said. “Henry will answer for his alleged deeds when the time comes and it will come sooner rather than later.”
Mr Malila lamented that it was a shame Henry fled the country after implicating his father in various alleged criminal activities such as the Nigeria-Zambia ‘oil-gate’ scam and the infamous RP Capital-Zamtel sale that was revoked by President Sata due to glaring flaws.
In the Nigeria-Zambia oil saga, the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court recently heard that Henry received US$550,000 (about KR3 billion) and the money was sent to a Barclays Bank account in Singapore.
This is according to former High Commissioner to Malawi Richard Kachingwe, who was testifying in a case in which Henry’s father Banda, 75, is charged with one count of abuse of authority of office.
The offence is contrary to section 99 (1) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Major Kachingwe said Banda directed his son Henry to discuss with Nigeria’s SARB Energy director Akpan Ekbene and a Brigadier General Silva where the proceeds of the K3 billion oil deal would go.
In the RP Capital deal-gone-sour, Henry is said to have played a fraudulent role in influencing the US$257 million sale of the Zamtel to LAPGreen Networks of Libya although he was not even a government official.
Henry is alleged to have connived with former Communications minister Dora Siliya to single-handedly hire RP Capital of Caymen Islands to undervalue the assets of Zamtel ahead of the controversial sale in 2010.
In January 2012, at the request of the Zambia Police, Interpol issued a red notice, the closest equivalent to an international arrest warrant, against the 46-year-old fugitive.
He has been on the run for 16 months now and has allegedly vowed never to return to Zambia as long as he is required to stand trial for various white-collar crimes.
In addition to London-based lawyer Robert Amsterdam, Henry has recruited Nicqui Galaktiou, a South African lawyer who last year represented former African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema.
Mr Malila wondered why “Henry cannot even have the heart to come and stand by his father as he stands trial here in Zambia like his other brothers are doing”.