K1 million transactions exposed as court hears chilling testimony in Muleya murder case

A trail of unusually timed financial transactions amounting to more than K1 million has taken centre stage in the Lusaka High Court, where chilling testimony has linked internal payments at the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to the days surrounding the brutal murder of its Director General, Guntila Muleya. Testifying before the court, IBA management accountant, Numel Mulenga, detailed a sequence of internal payments, altered bank records, and unexplained movements involving senior finance officials—transactions processed just days before and immediately after Muleya was gunned down. Mulenga told the court that he joined IBA in December 2023 as an intern, working under accused management accountant Francis Chipyoka and financial accountant Peter Hambiya, who is alleged to be on the run and hiding in Australia.

His duties included filing, processing receipts and payment vouchers, and delivering approved payment instructions to the bank. On 22 July 2024, the day Muleya was abducted, Mulenga testified that Hambiya prepared a payment of K462,000 towards IBA’s Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) liability. “It was approved by the signatories and taken to the bank by Mr Hambiya,” he said.

The following day, 23 July 2024, at around 18:30 hours, Mulenga received a call from Chipyoka while he was driving. “He informed me about the sad news of the passing of our late Director General, Mr Guntila Muleya,” he told the court. Barely a day later, on 24 July 2024, Hambiya prepared another payment instruction—this time amounting to K549,000, again purportedly for ZRA obligations.

[paywall]

Mulenga told the court that at the time, Chipyoka was in a boardroom meeting. “Mr Hambiya asked me to take the instruction to the boardroom so that Mr Chipyoka could give signatories to sign,” he said. “Mr Chipyoka said the meeting was almost done and that the signatories would sign from their respective offices.” After the meeting, the payment instruction was signed.

[/paywall]