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The Director of Public Prosecutions has applied for the forfeiture of more than US$85,000, over K395,000 in cash, 3,665 suspected copper ingots and an industrial furnace belonging to Teta Metal Zambia Limited in a non-conviction based forfeiture action tied to alleged illegal copper trading and suspected ZESCO cable vandalism.
The application, filed before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court, centres on property believed to be connected to offences under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act, the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act and the Penal Code.
It follows an investigation triggered by a February 2024 multi-agency operation involving officers from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Zambia Revenue Authority, Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Zambia Environmental Management Agency and ZESCO.
According to an affidavit sworn by DEC Senior Investigations Officer Kabwe Ng’andwe, the matter originated from a report lodged with ZESCO Police regarding suspected vandalism and illegal trade of electricity cables, which were allegedly being smelted and sold as scrap metal.
Ng’andwe said investigators later searched Teta Metal Limited’s warehouse on Mwembeshi Road in Chunga, where they allegedly found significant quantities of electricity cables suspected to belong to ZESCO.
He added that while officers were still conducting searches at the site, copper wires were allegedly being smelted despite legal requirements compelling scrap metal dealers to preserve materials in their original form for at least seven clear days.
The premises also allegedly lacked statutory notices warning against providing false information to scrap dealers, as required by law.
Ng’andwe told the court that investigators requested records showing legitimate sources of the copper cables and other scrap metals found at the warehouse, but no documentation was produced.
Officers subsequently discovered a truck and trailer loaded with suspected copper ingots, before uncovering further ingots inside the warehouse, bringing the total to 3,665.
The affidavit further states that Teta Metal Limited had been exporting copper ingots to Minterra FZC in the United Arab Emirates, which had been remitting funds into the company’s US-dollar account.
Funds amounting to US$50,296.54 and K37,805.77 held in Stanbic Bank accounts have been listed for forfeiture, along with K307,100 allegedly found in a safe, US$34,778 recovered from another safe and K50,211 said to have been found in an upper office. Also included in the application are a Toyota Mark X, a Toyota Rav4, a Lifan motorcycle, 248 kilograms of assorted cable wires and 152 kilograms of assorted copper cables and windings.
Ng’andwe said he believed the listed assets were tainted property and, therefore, liable to be forfeited to the State, arguing that they were suspected to be proceeds or instrumentalities of serious criminal offences.
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