Court listens to K2 million recorded conversation of Esther Lungu and Juju woman
A PHONE conversation between former First Lady Esther Lungu and Voodooist Elizabeth Phiri was yesterday played in Court, unmasking Esther of having grabbed the herbalist’s house and vehicles to recover the K2 million Phiri had allegedly squandered out of the US$400,000 that Esther had given her niece for safe keeping.
In the phone conversation, Esther was heard pleading with the witch doctor to return her K2 million but the voodooist swore that she only received a K4, 000 from Lungu’s niece Catherine for making her fertile and the charms she gave her to attract rich men.
According to Phiri Lungu’s niece had lied to her that she had won a jackpot and she had no business to question her source of income.
In this case Esther, is jointly charged with James Phiri a police officer of house no.753 Obama, Lee Chisulo 31, a police officer of new Chilenje, Kapambwe Lungu, a police and her niece Catherine Banda on three counts of theft of motor vehicle and one count of theft.
When the case came up before magistrate Mbuywana Simvula for continued cross examination, an audio recording was played regarding the phone conversation that Esther had with Phiri when she told the latter that she could not lose out on her money.
In the recording, Esther was asking the witch doctor to give her back the money which she claimed her niece had stolen from her.
“We signed somewhere and you agreed that you worked for Catherine, she stole that money and brought it to you but why are you refusing to return it? I also want to recover something,” she said.
In response, Phiri advised Esther to sort out the issue with her niece and not to involve her in their family feud whilst blaming Catherine for not being honest.
“I was expecting Catherine to be open and tell me that she’s Lungu’s niece, she trapped me when she took me to his sister’s house in Chawama.She just said escort me to my aunty,” Phiri said.
She explained that Catherine told her that she won a jackpot when she increased her pay, as appreciation for taking away her shame of being called a sterile woman.
“I didn’t know Catherine stole the money, she’s not honest. She told me she won a jackpot. She never tells the truth, she must never step foot in my house she’s not honest, am afraid of dealing with stolen money,” she said.
Esther wondered who would win a jackpot when the country’s economy had collapsed
“Who would win a jackpot with this economy? since you said you are afraid of people’s things why didn’t you ask her where she got the K2 million but instead you decided to use it?,” She questioned.
“Am at a loss and I won’t get much from these properties (house and vehicles) that’s why am saying you bring it back, You can’t benefit from stolen money,” she said.
But Phiri insisted that she questiones her niece as she did not benefit a coin out of the stolen K2 million.
“She gave me the money, she would bring K250 until she increased the amount after she got pregnant I don’t know where she got the money,” Phiri said.
“Why are you changing your statement when you accepted that you benefited from the money she stole? Do you think you will win the case when I take you to court, you cannot be at peace to sleep in a house bought with stolen money, drive a car bought with stolen money and and wear clothes bought with stolen money,” Esther told the witch doctor.
“Don’t expect to be profit making all the time!
I’m at a loss because there’s nothing that I have recovered. You are telling me you used to charge people K2 million for your services? “
But Phiri proposed that Esther gives her back the house and they share the remaining proportion so that nobody was at a loss, as the fool was her niece Catherine who had double crossed them.
Esther was however not in agreement with the proposal by Phiri and told her to accept her loss.
“Every business has a loss, so you want to be a winner through and through? you can’t expect to be a winner on all sides! So you want me to give you everything and I should be at a loss?,” questioned Esther.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba August 15, 2024.