Petauke Central Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Jay Banda, has been identified as one of the owners of the 10 containers of mukula logs seized by the State in 2019. The revelation came during a court hearing where it was disclosed that a judge had ordered the return of the impounded timber to its owners, including Banda, following a consent judgment.
The court also ruled that the State must pay over US$2 million in compensation to a company that had sued for the unlawful seizure of the mukula logs.
This development is part of a broader case involving businessman Ackson Tembo, who is facing theft charges in connection with the stolen logs. Tembo, the owner of Lusaka’s Forest SOS, is accused of stealing 10 containers of mukula logs, valued at US$6,060,000, between September 6 and 30, 2021. The logs were allegedly taken from Berto Bacara Pascoal.
