Chitalu Chilufya, a former minister of health, and eight other people have entered a not guilty plea to a charge of conspiring to cheat the government of more than US$17 million in connection with the HoneyBee medicine supply case.
Likando Kalaluka, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Caroline Kakulubelwa, and Wilson Lungu, a procurement officer, are the other defendants.
The remaining members are pharmacist Emmanuel Mubanga and directors Abdurrauf Motala, Zakir Motala, and Imran Lunat of Honeybee Pharmacy Limited.
They are both accused of the crime of conspiring to commit fraud.
It is alleged that between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020, Chitalu, Kakulubelwa, Kalaluka, Lungu, Mubanga, Lunat, Lunat, Zakir, and Abdurauf conspired to steal US$17, 958,150 from the government through a contract for the supply and delivery of 22,500 health center kits, with tender number MOH/SP/032/19.
Before Chief Resident Magistrate Davies Chibwili in Lusaka, all of the defendants entered a not guilty plea.
