Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Courts will determine wrong or right in ZAMTEL sale – Guy Scott

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Vice President Guy Scott
Vice President Guy Scott

Government says it will be up to the courts of law to determine who was wrong or right in the sale of the telecommunications company Zamtel to Libya’s LAP Green.

Vice president Guy Scot has exclusively told QFM that the matter which he said would be a civil litigation would tell who is liable in the Zamtel Sale case after it is heard in the courts of law and all the evidence is given.

The vice president however declined to comment further on LAP Green’s reaction to media reports that government has reversed the sale of Zamtel saying the government would not try anyone through the media.

In a statement availed to QFM over weekend, newly appointed LAP Green board chairman Wafik Alshater said LAP Green will pursue all options and do everything possible to retain its stake in Zamtel claiming the Libyan firm legally acquired its 75% shares in the company.

Meanwhile, The Private Sector Development Association has called on the Zambian government to quickly resolve the issue of the sale of Zamtel to LAP Green of Libya.

PSDA chairperson Yusuf Dodia says government should ensure also ensure that sale of ZANACO to Rabo bank is resolved.

Mr. Dodia says the two companies are very important in far as foreign investment is concerned to Zambia.

[pullquote]The vice president however declined to comment further on LAP Green’s reaction to media reports that government has reversed the sale of Zamtel saying the government would not try anyone through the media.[/pullquote]

He says if the government handles the issues very well, and assures confidence in the economy, they will boost foreign investors’ confidence in the country.

He adds that Zambia needs foreign investment as it aids the development of the country.

QFM

39 COMMENTS

  1. Warn and caution Na Mailo ata !. It is like watching the grass grow or paint dry. Get prosecutions going Ba mambal imwe .

  2. let the law indeed the courts of law determine who is right and wrong.good response from the media.it should no longer be an accusation let it be done quickly to boost foreign investor confidence.

  3. The problem is the level of political interference, when professionals should be handling matters. Whatever, the out come will be, HE President Sata will be perceived has having had a hand in the matter. simply because of the way he has handled things. The executive needs to approach such matters from the background. The doing of things from the front roll is what lead Dora into all these problems. I hope PF you do things defferently as we are not interested in your failure but sucess. When is PF going to concetrate on development programs. we shall soon have 365 days and not the 90 days theory to measure this govt.

  4. Its interesting to hear the vice president say that. However, its seems as if they don’t know how to go about the whole issue because if we are not careful we will end up paying colossal amounts of money in breach of contract. The issue here is not the amount involved, I guess what’s at stake is the strategic deposition that seems to  have an upper hand. Iet’s say suppose the proper procedure was followed in selling ZANACO or ZAMTEL were we going to see all these cries? I think yes, what we want is to retain these institutions as they have a strategic significance to the nation. Thumbs up PF.

  5. In a civil litigation? So how is anyone going to prision with this? Just knowing who was right or wrong? PF you stood on top of the mountain shouting corruption in MMD and yet you can not come up with anything concrete where you can convict a person?

  6. And somebody from Bwinjimfumu claims to be a lawyer and writes an editorial that LAPGreen has no ground to fight the reversal.I was perplexed.

  7. ZaMTEL will never be the same again even if the Government gets it back.They will be forced to sell it again.The world bank or IMF are watching the drama.If there was anything wrong in the way ZAMTEL was sold you take the culprits to book not reversing the whole transanctions.This will doom for the Zambian economy.To make matters worse all the economists in this country are queit because they think Dora siliya Abused his office.This is about our survival as a nation.

  8. If Sata and company called it the ‘illegal sale of zamtel’ why are they dragging their feet to grab it? Why is Scott talking about a civil litigation to determine who is right or wrong when they were sure that the deal was illegal?

  9. Grade seven special paper one:
    Arrange the following in logical order for reversing sale of a telecom company
    a. court proceedings
    b. commission of inquiry
    c. inform partner
    d. sales reversal
    e. press statement
    Ans: as listed. simple

  10. It is interesting that when Sata is AWAY, Guy Scott speaks sense for the government. This is the most sensible thing to do, but unfortunately, the Zambian judiciary is compromised, according to the Post so no one can ever respect it’s decisions.

  11. Let us look at the gist of the ZAMTEL issue without being controlled by too much emotions while employing too little reasoning.The questio is why was the company sold? If not sold would the company have survived the economic turbulence the world is experiencing? Let us reengage Lap Green and ask them to add more to what they have already paid what we think is the deficit. Instead of making too much barren noise.

  12. You see, the value of a commodity is sometimes not determined by what was spent on it.The law of supply and demand will remain true all the time. ZAMTEL. How much demand for it was there and how many were willing to purchase it at the illusury price that we want?

  13. But hasn’t the biased commission of enquiry already stated that the sell was illegal? Sata himself when he set up the commission of wasting money on the sell of Zamtel stated that the sell was fraudulent so why does the govt need the courts to settle matter? The ploy to use civil courts is just a ploy to save face for the govt. The courts will be instructed to determine that the sell was after all above board and the govt will then say that it can not re-nationalise the entity as I think they have realised the financial implications of such a move and the possible consequences of discouraging FDI into Zambia.

  14. ZAMTEL BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE OF LIBYA AND NOT ZAMBIA??? AND FROM NOW ONWARDS LET US CALL IT LIBTEL. WHAT A MORKERY, ZAMBIANS!!!

  15. Civil suit? hey,hey,hey,heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Twalemweba tamumfwa fye. Balekene baisebanye. tribunal cleared Dora and now what will a civil suit bring about? just discontinue these framed up cases because pf has no credible evidence against the so called plunderors. Its either they were so smart in the way they stole sealed all loopholes such that sata’s team has miserably failed to find any evidence. Why arrest someone because he is found with bicycles or that without any proof that he stole from or by this or that? Ekupwa kwaba Sata ne team yabo mumenso abena zambia. RB, Musokotwane, nevers Mumba, Dora Bums, and others stole but no one has evidence of what they stole apart from hearsay and biased post and govt media judgment whose sentences are only making these “alleged thieves” hellos.

  16. Playing to the gallery has consequences.I knew this was going no where.That’s why Dr. Musokotwane is challenged the members of the commission to also state the procedures on how to valuate a company like Zamtel knowing very well that members of COI are not schooled in valuation.The current regime in Ghana played to the gallery of reversing the sake of Ghana telecom when John Kuffour privatised it to Vodafone.Once they were ushered into office Atta mills saw the reality and since he is a Professor just apologised to the masses but remains whether Ghanians forgave him for his lies or not cos his re-election bid is pretty tough this year.Such are campaigns won on the platform of lies.

  17. Suppose all these cases are fictitious against Pf’s percieved enemies? Pf govt.is surely lost and without direction. Witch hunting and retribution is making you very unpopular with the majority of people whom you promised developmemnt and raised standard of living in 90 days but you have since failed and sadly resorted to hiding your shame and disgrace in continuing to claim you are fighting corruption when in reality you are ammassing yourselves wealth via inquiry committes.Zambia is no longer attractive to foreign investment and if this government continues to rake avoc on its citizens let us just expect massive job losses as investors withhold their capital in a wait and see situation. Zambia has only earned local and international redicule for the comedy our president performs daily.

  18. It is funny just how the people on Ground in Zambia are objective about the so called Zamtel saga. We all know how revitalised and is better than airtel in customer satisfaction and brand recognition. Only 1 or 2 people here in the diaspora have realised the veep said CIVIL COURT…it is the chiluba saga spending millions in (LAP Green is Libyan) what might actually be an international court…people in the diaspora please if all you do there is flip burgers or work in an old peoples home…leave politics and economics to intellectuals….

  19. Why is Guy Scot not left to act when President is out as opposed to having Chikwanda act? This is interesting for food for thought.

  20. If you are clever enough tell me any Zambian who can run Zamtel in better ways than LAP GREEN not even PF Government can run the company effectively, failing to pay farmers up now and you think you think you can run Zamtel. Zamtel will never be same again,and poverty has gone back to Zamtel employees due to poor conditions of service they will be subjected to……

  21. The government should desist from issuing flippant and unsubstantiated statements on issues that they are not conversant about. Issues like the windfall tax , baroste agreement, sale of ZAMTEL and ZANACO made  a lot of noise during campaigns. Now its a different story when faced with  reality. Let the government engage experts so that we do not pay huge amounts and lose FDI as a consequence.. Where are the so called professors of law, economics,politics etc, if there has been a time that this country ever needed your services this is just about the right time.

  22. When the monkeys finnish making noise then whitey elaborates substance credible enough for people who can reason.

    Thats how this so called government operates.

  23. With corrupted judges, we stand no chance of reclaiming our assets – ZAMTEL and ZANACO. How do we ensure that judges are not promised millions to make Libyans retain ZAMTEL or the Dutch to retain ZANACO?

  24. Very soon. Soon very soon people of Zambia will realise how much they have “gongard” themselves pali ‘bupresido’.

  25. I see no reason for a reversal as at now. But if evidence is availed of impropriety, definitely the firm should be repossessed and no one should be compensated but Dora should face the music in court. There is fundamentally wrong with the psyche exhibited by Dora of forcing the sale by antagonizing the same populous she claims will benefit. Too much power and money corrupts certain people and Dora is the kind that sees herself as a small “god” when entrusted with little more power. I can foresee a situation where some of these guys will spend time in jail or skip the country soon. I don’t think the Cobra will end this in rhetoric.

  26. Yaba this is too much, how can a commission of inquiry fail to invite lap green to submit how they transacted and only concluded the sale was wrong. The presido said the sale was wrong even b4 appointing the commission and now the toothless veep is saying the court. By the way is that the cabinet final position after receiving the report or they seat for formality? wrong guys in govt or sorry ni don’t kubebe aini?

  27. This is worrying. First Lubinda expresses his opinion, now the Veep is also saying something. Is what the Veep saying the final Cabinet decision? well, that is what we were told according to the gospel truth-version of the Post sources. We are in deep shit if each government official is expressing his or her own opinion on such a sensitive issue. If we don’t handle Zamtel and Zanaco issues properly, we can as well kiss goodbye the much needed DFI because I can assure you these foreign financiers are seeing and following closely what is happening in Zambia. it’s a wait-and-see game.

  28. @ 18 Lecturer

    I think we should also leave this debate to Libyans. What a shame for this country we shall soon be saying the mines belong to Chinese.

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