Chitalu Chilufya, a former minister of health, and seven other people were freed after being charged with plotting to defraud the government of approximately US$17 million in connection with the HoneyBee medicine supply case.
The funding is associated with HoneyBee’s procurement and distribution of 22,500 health center kits.
Dr. Chilufya and the other defendants were released by discharge when the matter went to trial this morning in Lusaka.
This came after the State requested that the case be withdrawn in accordance with Criminal Procedure Code Section 88(a) ( CPC).
The State’s application to have the case dropped through a discharge was not met with opposition from the defense team.
Dr. Chilufya was released along with the former attorney general Likando Kalaluka, the former permanent secretary of the ministry of health Caroline Kakulubelwa, the procurement officer for the ministry of mines Wilson Lungu, and the pharmacist Emmanuel Mubanga.
Abdurrauf Motala, Zakir Motala, and Imran Lunat, directors of Honeybee Pharmaceutical Ltd, round out the group.
There are allegations that Dr. Chilufya and others planned to cheat the government of US$17,958,150.00 between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 using a contract with tender number MOH/SP/032/19 for the supply and delivery of 22,500 Health Center Kits.
According to defense attorney Sakwiba Sikota, there was no reason to bring charges against his client after the release.
“As we stated right at the beginning, there was no basis for this prosecution and it was clearly malicious,” Mr Sikota said.
