MAN HELD FOR E125K WANTED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING IN ZAMBIA

MBABANNE - The Zambian national, who was arrested at Ngwenya Border Gate for being found in possession of over E125 000, is wanted in his home country.

Henry Shula Kasolo, according to Zambian publications, is a nephew to late President Michael Sata and a younger brother to former Zambia Minister, Chanda Kasolo.
In his home country, Henry is wanted by the police to face criminal charges emanating from the discovery of 204.7kg of dagga at Freight Village, Kenneth Kauda International Airport on May 14, 2024. It is alleged that this was not the first time Henry was arrested for drug trafficking.

He was previously arrested in different countries for the same offence.  He was once accused of hauling heroine from Zambia to the United States of America.  In Eswatini, Henry stands accused of having contravened the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Act of 2011. He is alleged to have committed the offence on June 21, 2024.   Through the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act (POCA), the prosecution has since obtained an order to preserve the amount of E125 050, which was found in his possession at Ngwenya Border Gate.  In its application, the prosecution informed the court that it had a reasonable belief that the money was obtained through ill-gotten means.   

Wanted

The court was informed that in his home country, Henry is currently wanted by the police to face charges of drug trafficking and exportation. In the application to preserve the money as per the provisions of POCA, Principal Crown Counsel Elsie Matsebula averred that Henry’s explanation of both the source of the cash and its intended purpose was a fabrication.
He is said to have told the police, who nabbed him at the border gate, that the source of the money was a payment from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he sold maize meal and was paid in cash. He claimed that he never deposited the cash; instead, he carried it all the way from Congo.   

According to Matsebula, when Henry was interviewed, he told the police officers that he was the Director of Endora Investments, which had a warehouse next to Sandton factories. He is said to have further claimed that he was picked up at Ngwenya Border Gate by a certain Melusi Matsebula, who was sent by one Hector Sifiso Ndlandla. The Crown submitted that in his statement, Henry alleged that he had met Ndlandla before, and he wanted to buy sugar from him (Ndlandla).

Matsebula informed the court that following Henry’s arrest, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) was contacted by the Zambian law enforcement authorities. They want Henry to face charges in Zambia for drug trafficking and exportation. The principal Crown counsel highlighted that the Zambian authorities stated that their investigations revealed that the dagga that was discovered at the Freight Village Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on May 14, 2024, allegedly belonged to him.“It is submitted that (Henry) Kasolo’s explanation of both the source of the cash and its intended purpose is a fabrication. Kasolo is in the business of drug dealing, trafficking and exportation thereof,” submitted the principal Crown counsel.
  She further contended that Henry solo did not provide any documentation to support his statement.

  “Additionally, it is not probable or realistic that Kasolo carried cash from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he later brought to Eswatini.  “Kasolo resides in the Republic of South Africa, where he claims to be a businessman. Both South Africa and Eswatini have functioning banking sectors,” she argued.  Matsebula informed the court that legitimate businesspeople utilised banks and banking systems.

Evidence

“There are reasonable grounds for believing that, the money is proceeds of unlawful activity. I wish to point out that although evidence at this stage indicates that the property is proceeds of unlawful activity, the investigation is ongoing and evidence of further different offences may come to light,” submitted Matsebula.  She stated that should such evidence indeed come to light, it would be included in the papers filed in support of the forfeiture application or in any necessary supplementary papers. “The financial investigator is still waiting for documentation from the Zambian Police Force on Kasolo and the investigations done in Zambia,” averred Matsebula.  

She pointed out that this was one of the reasons the application could not be filed earlier as the documentation had still not been received. She submitted that there had been an assurance that it would be received by the REPS. The order for the preservation of the sum of E125 050 that was found in Henry’s possession was issued by Judge Bongikhosi Magagula. The prosecution was represented by Jarmila Piposiarova from the chamber of the director of public prosecution (DPP).

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