Henry Banda has 3 passports

......as Kenyan and Zambia police pursue him

KENYAN police commissioner Mathew Iteere has said security personnel in that country are following leads that son of former President Rupiah Banda, Henry is holding three different passports and none has been captured to show he flew to the country since November last year.

Mr Iteere said police had intensified investigations to establish his exact location and that action would be taken should they spot him.

"We are following various leads but all I can tell you is that this man flew out of Kenya on November 23, last year. We also know that he has three passports," said Iteere.

He added that ongoing investigations would reveal if he is in the country and they would take necessary action.

Mr Iteere was also quoted by the East African Standard newspaper as confirming Henry had been a regular visitor to Kenya.

Meanwhile, details have emerged that Henry Banda is a business partner of a Kenyan living in Lower Kabete and had been there on several occasions. When The Standard sought details from the owner of the house, he referred them to the police.

"Had he been in my house, the Police Commissioner would know. Talk to him please," said the owner of the house who was not named by the newspaper. Officers handling the case said the last time Henry was in that country was on November 23, last year.

Mr Iteere said he is not aware that Henry had been to the said house. He revealed that they had received fusion notice from the Interpol and Zambian police indicating the intention and request to arrest Henry if he would be found.

Mr Iteere said his officers and those from other agencies were investigating the matter. Zambian police issued an international arrest warrant on Henry following reports that he had flown from South Africa to Kenya after he learnt that he was wanted in his country over ongoing investigation into his father’s campaign funds and materials last year. F

ormer Zambia police Inspector General Police Martin Malama said Henry was recently spotted in Johannesburg and is now in Kenya.

He said Henry left the Southern African Development Community to East Africa where the jurisdiction is different from the one used to hunt him down in South Africa with Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation and Interpol help.

Before he fled, a combined team of officers from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Zambia Police Service had searched Henry’s house in connection with the alleged irregularities in transaction about the US$7 million worth of gold confiscated from two Zimbabweans in 2007.

The investigators in the matter had also summoned former special assistant to Mr Banda for Press and public relations Dickson Jere to answer questions related to the same transaction.

The team searched Henry Banda’s residence and his office on Longolongo Road where some documents including business cards and a Toyota Hilux motor vehicle were seized.

Former DEC commissioner Aaron Zulu and former Attorney General Abyudi Shonga were also questioned at the offices formerly occupied by the task force on corruption in Woodlands residential area in connection with the same matter.

In 2007, DEC seized 119 kilogrammes of gold worth more than US$7 million at the then Lusaka International Airport from two Zimbabweans who tried to evade sanctions against Zimbabwe and attempted to re-export the gold through Zambia.

The Lusaka Magistrate convicted the duo and they have since served their sentences while the gold was forfeited to the State.