Ronnie, Phiri given 21-day ultimatum to settle ZNBC legal fees
Former Information Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha
FORMER Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Ronnie Shikapwasha and former permanent secretary Sam Phiri have been given 21 days to respond to the surcharge notice issued to them regarding the legal fees incurred by Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) for airing the documentaries dubbed ‘Stand Up for Zambia’ by Chanda Chimba III.
The two were surcharged for allegedly instructing ZNBC to air the highly libellous documentaries in the run-up to the September 20 general elections.
Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba said Lieutenant General Shikapwasha and Dr Phiri were served with the notices on February 24 this year.
Mr Yamba told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that he invoked Section 31 of the Public Finance Act, which provides for the surcharging of erring public officers.
He said his office is waiting to hear from the two former public officers, on the notices served to them.
“We issued them with notices on February 24 regarding the surcharge over the legal fees which were incurred by ZNBC for airing Chanda Chimba’s documentaries,” he said.
On February 23, Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Labour Fackson Shamenda announced that Gen Shikapwasha and Dr Phiri had been surcharged close to K1 billion legal fees ZNBC owes SBN legal firm.
SNB represented ZNBC when individuals sued the national broadcaster for airing Mr Chimba’s documentaries.
Mr Shamenda said Gen Shikapwasha and Dr Phiri have been surcharged about K900 million which they should pay SBN.
This follows investigations which have ascertained that the two instructed ZNBC to air the libellous documentaries, on the agreement that the ministry would reimburse ZNBC expenses on retaining lawyers to defend the national broadcaster.
Mr Shamenda said if Gen Shikapwasha and Dr Phiri fail to settle the bill, Government will withhold benefits owed to them.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
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mr shikapwasha,you see now!!!!,you were so excited closing radio liambayi.Now you can see who is laughing.This is what happens to people who mess up with barotseland.Go and ask for forgiveness.
Loughin
The entire hell is smiling since 20th September. I will squeeze your country especially Christians like you Shikapwasha who want Jesus to be glorified in your country. I will destroy Zambia within 90 days. First quantum also tried to make people happy and am punishing it. Zambia shall feel my weight. The economy must go down pronto. 4 percent payrise for workers.
Days of the Baboons are over.Any you can share the cost with your former bosses,GK and RB.
but the docmetry prophecy revalation is collect. Im busy helping gvt workers to morn salary increase of 3%. yaba kanshi ni HHHHHHHHH chabee mutuntulu..pa ZED .HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ma rubbish, Sam phiri is a patriotic zambian that MMD asked him to leave a well paying Job in SA and be PS , when he came that stupid programme was already running, so why he is being hoodwinked in this, let RB and MMD pay for this SHA!!!! Thats why for me i will never work for mother zambia, Govt. scares professionlas, so i continue in the diaspora and watch your ka poor zambia on the terraces
RB should help these guys pay that huge bill,after all the programme was meant to help him win the election.
Big Mpuno Shikatoto you never used to listen to criticism.Waona manje
Help me out here, is it the court which surcharged Ronnie and Phiri, or is it the PF government?
21 days or else what?
Iwe Kolwestan, can’t you read? The article says or else government will with-hold benefits owed to them.
The bill is for the Zambian govt. What kind of reasoning is this? CC3 was accurate afterall…so current govt shud cover them bills. Leave the pastor alone or else you’ll die before your appointed time.
Ba antiracism tamwaba normal
This is a simple matter on which the nation should not be made to waste valuable time. The only reason why the matter went to court was because it touched on the background of certain politicians who feared that the truth in it would hurt their political ambitions. What Chanda Chimba III wrote was based on articles written by Mmembe which are still there in the archives. Mmembe and those politicians are still alive as witnesses. So let the matter go back to court so that we establish whether Chanda Chimba was telling lies or not, and bring the matter to its logical conclusion. Anything short of that is victimisation of innocent citizens.
Yumba relax. What will happen when they do not pay? Is there a court Order that you are enforcing on the two? Seeing that they 2 are not getting government salaries. It seems like the there is a misconception that the Executive is now the Judiciary in Zambia. What a pity!!!
Ronnie, you are praying to the wrong God man!!!
Blowing 2 pensions in a life time is rare occurrence.
#16, it’s too early to say, there are others lined up for that just now.
Rubbish. What is collective agreement. When you are a minister that it mean that whatever decision you make you make it as an individual???WHO IS GOING TO PAY THE $8.0M AWARDED TO ZAMBEZI EXPRESS????IS IT THE PF GOVT OR THE TRANSPORT PS AND MINISTERS???Zambians lets be serious and get to work it will not help in instilling fear in our leaders to make decisions. SATA will not provide everything but we need men like Kambwili to ruffle up feathers here and there and make decisions ba mukuta imwee.