Thursday, March 28, 2024

PF Government cancels Former President Rupiah Banda’s diplomatic passport

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President Rupiah Banda bids farewell to presidential affairs Minister Ronald Mukuma before he left for Angola at Lusaka International Airport
File picture:President Rupiah Banda bids farewell to presidential affairs Minister Ronald Mukuma before he left for Angola at Lusaka International Airport

The PF Government has cancelled former President Rupiah Banda’s diplomatic passport number D-001224.

Home Affairs permanent secretary Willie Manjimela has confirmed the development and instructions had been sent to all immigration officers at all borders not to endorse former President Rupiah Banda’s passport whenever it was presented.

Manjimela said the passport had been canceled and it has ceased to have effect at any border entry points.The decision has been attributed to criminal investigations and court cases that the former president is currently facing.

53 COMMENTS

  1. Very childish thing to do. Most of PF government time seems to be spent scheming of how to fix political enemies. Please spend more of your energy on doing constructive things for the country.

    • They have done the right thing,another masterpiece by this man who is shielding his sons from the prosecutions and questioning they are facing in the country

      They should have done it earlier, you would be a mental midget to think this is not another masterpiece by the best government we may ever have had
      #ForDualNationality

      Thanks

    • It doesn’t really make a difference whether his passport has been withdrawn or not the former president has not been allowed to leave the country since his immunity was stripped.Why continue beating a dead dog ba PF have you run out of ways to punish RB? Your times a comin’

    • Mushota balikutomba po live ku muzambian ulepiba nokupiba ifi. Nanwa ko natu mosi? Balindila gf wandi, ama zambians tabalya bwino.

    • what scheming you fool , this is the right direction by any focused government why do you mangwams argue over things you do not understand bakabwa.Just because you are tonga and disgruntled you feel everything PF does is fake ? wake up and live to understand we can never allow non reasoning HH to rule !

    • THIS WAS LONG OVER-DUE. HOW DO YOU LET SOMEONE WITH SUCH GRAVITY OF CASE INVESTIGATION AND POTENTIAL PROSECUTION TO BE RUNNING LOOSE. OBVIOUSLY, HE HAS ALREADY TEMPERED WITH EVIDENCE. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE, ANYWAY. BUT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT WINGS MUST LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES. THEY ARE NOT PRO-ACTIVE. PLEASE, BE PRO-ACTIVE. IF IT WERE HERE RB’s PPORT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU WERE PRO-ACTIVE HENRY BANDA WOULDN’T RUN AWAY INTO HIDING.

    • MUSHOTA, YOU ARE 101% RIGHT. THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS A LONG TIME AGO. THIS MAN, RB, IS CONNECTED TO SO MANY SERIOUS SCANDLES WITH HIS CHILDREN, WIFE AND FRIENDS- HOW DOES ANY THINKING GOVT LET SUCH A MAN START GLOBE-TROTTING?

    • If you have a wife who was a simple School teacher earning less than zmk1000 a year and who became a millionair in 4 years and you treated the opposition With disdain and scorn, why would you be shocked when you are treated like a common criminal when the tables are turned?

  2. Way to go PF. i dont like you, but I’ve got give credit where it’s due!! that man messed up the country really bad!!!

    • Please educate us how exactly he messed up if you don’t have the answer leave the analysis to adults and go play outside.

    • @ Mulenga and Concalves how old are you guys?? have you just come out of the rock you were living under or what?? yes am young (19), but i am more educated and better enlightened on issues affecting Zambia than you two 😛 who honestly doesn’t know what that man did to the country? he was the most corrupt president to ever rule Zambia! He dismantled much of the anti-corruption effort put into place by Mwanawasa, he canceled mining tax ( copper makes up 72% of Zambia’s total export , and it only represented 0.2% GDP during his era), he defraud the country of millions of dollars through his sons and bla bla bla bla bla!!!!!!

  3. I very greatly applaud the hard working men and women at the Ministry of Home Affairs. A vile thieving **** like Ala Bee is a ******* disgrace and should not be flashing such VIP travel documentations.

    • IN FACT MOST ZAMBIANS I HAVE SPOKEN TO HAVE BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTED BY THE INACTION OR SLOW ACTION TO BRING THIS THIEF TO BOOK. THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS ZAMBIANS WERE EXPECTING. DELAY OF JUSTICE JUST GIVES AMMUNITION TO OFFENDERS AS IT DID TO CHILUBA AND CURRENTLY RB AND HIS ACCOMPLICES.

  4. totally unnecessary, he is Zambia’s fourth President and you can’t pass any law in the world to take that away from him. very Childish I must say

  5. I had the wildest of dreams last night or early this morning and it is still vivid in my brain. This is no word of a lie and I know it is just a dream at this point but hey! dreams have a funny way of coming true sometimes and I won’t put this one past me. In the dream, The President visited me at my residence and he was very pleasant. I do not exactly remember what we talked about but it was a tranquil and reassuring discussion from top of my head. He also accepted a cup of herbal tea that my wife made for him but refused to have sugar in it or sweetener. I have been converted and I wish him well. I hope this dream has been shown to me to give this man another chance and wait and see see his pedigree. You have my endorsement Mr President especially that you can cross seas to visit….

    • You know, Zambians are good people. One day you’re protesting heavily against the policies and practices of the ruling party. You go to bed, have a dream and will now support those same policies and practices.

      Superstitious, gullible but good.

  6. Let us upgrade the boat to the Titanic but this time around we shall arrive.’Titanic’!!!!

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    Do what is best by us and we shall support you through and through. First and foremost democracy should prevail and secondly if Mr Banda abused his powers at the helm then this is is justified. Looks like the state knows more than the public does at this point in time. Nobody is above the law! You are not in Government to Eat but to Serve!

    • But his cases are before the courts!!! How can this ever be justified before the courts pass judgement? If the Govt knows more than the public then they should tell us or bring the evidence before the courts.
      By all accounts this is simply a childish reaction to the contempt of court charges raised against the immigration officials that have blocked RB’s travel plans in recent months.

  7. It doesn’t really make a difference whether his passport has been withdrawn or not the former president has not been allowed to leave the country since his immunity was stripped.Why continue beating a dead dog ba PF have you run out of ways to punish RB? Your times a comin’

  8. Would Mr Sata like his diplomatic passport withdrawn as well? Even before he is proven guity by the courts?

    He (Mr Sata) should remeber he is not free of Corruption. Where is Mwakalombe? appointed shortly after being influenced to leave MMD? Is this not corruption?

    Influnecing the Courts? The Judge Chikopa issue. Why is our money being spent like that. One year plus a judge is in Zambia on tax payers money?.

    The issue of Mmembe and the DBZ?
    We shall find Mr Sata.

    Rupiah Banda evacuated Kaseba to RSA. Would Sata evacuate RB to and hospital? even a local one?

    Mwanawasa evaucuated Sata to RSA, would Sata evacuate Mumba, HH, or Rupiah to RSA.

    Stop hatred Mr Sata. God is watching and you will not know peace if you carry on like this.

  9. Politics of vindictiness where things are done not due to new evidence but bcoz they always look for ways to hurt Banda.Every time a reason is given by PF its always a very shallow excuse that makes them look like teenagaers.

  10. PALI GUNDIXYOUS PA ZED YOU HAPPY, WHY CANCEL THE PASSPORT WHEN YOU CAN KEEP IT UNDER LOCK AND KEY. AT LEAST WE ARE ENJOYING THE HAPPENINGS.
    FTJ IS ROTING WHILE OTHERS ARE SENT TO PRISON. WE WAIT WHAT KATELE WILL TELL US ABOUT 2 BILLION AT MMD/MULUGUSHI/DEATH OF PAUL TEMBO. IMPEACHMENT IS COMING

  11. @ Mulenga and Concalves how old are you guys?? have you just come out of the rock you were living under or what?? yes am young (19), but i am more educated and better enlightened on issues affecting Zambia than you two who honestly doesn’t know what that man did to the country? he was the most corrupt president to ever rule Zambia! He dismantled much of the anti-corruption effort put into place by Mwanawasa, he canceled mining tax ( copper makes up 72% of Zambia’s total export , and it only represented 0.2% GDP during his era), he defraud the country of millions of dollars through his sons and bla bla bla bla bla!!!!!!

    • Haguma I am saddened at the calibre of youth like you .anyway 19yrs old you are still a teenager and your prefrontal cortex is still developing.How is dismantling the anti corruption commission which just gobbled millions of tax payers money with hardly any results equated to theft or messing up the country?I think its pure genius that RB cancelled mining tax and still managed to leave $2billion in reserves something unheard of in the Zambian history. You have given only 2 baseless excuses of how RB messed up the country please give us the looooooonnnngggg list.Us elders are itching to know what our former president did that has lead to judgements from courts of law to be ignored,an editor of a paper to have the sitting president on a short leash etc

  12. Re-writting history, that is what Communists are good at. Very soon, we will be hearing that the PF brought us independence, that the great leader Michael Sata was raised from the dead in 1965 after dying in a colonial prison. We will soon see text books that say that Fred Mmembe is the father of press freedom and Wynter Kabimba is the man who brought real justice to Zambia. The economy is the best under PF. etc etc. Re-writting history while destroying the country. Hopefully, it will not take 27 years before we wake up!

  13. I think what is happening should be interpreted in the context of the respect for the rule of Law. Is this what the Law says?. That you may cancel a diplomatic passport without cause (seeing Coart has not yet ruled). Lets see beyond Rupiah Banda.

    I think Zambia ia setting very bad precedence in terms of the rule of Law, that the Government can work up and victmise anyone as it pleases them/it.

    This is how investiment is driven out of countries. People fear that their investiment can just be decreed to zero because there is no Law to respect.

    I hope Mr Sata can see this beyond 10 years or 5 years.

    We need respect for the Rule of Law. RB may be guilty but he can’t be punished before the Courts decide so.

    I know that PF think they are popular but people change.

  14. I have said it before and I will say it again, without giving credence to any of the parties involved in this saga. Mr Banda was ‘jailed’ the very first time he appeared before the joint investigating wings. If he was ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ the situation would have been handled in a different way. The PF machinery has silenced even the highest court of law on this one!

    • There is a lesson to learn now and in future.

      Peopple without education get very drunk with power.

      Never give an uneducated man power as he is more than likely going to abuse it. Mr sata is drunk with Power.

      Let the law be ammended soon. Because when the law is changed to restrict defections, no one will defect from PF to join the would be ruling Party. These guys will perish. They will not be punished in heaven, they will be punished here.

  15. RB Stands for Ruthless Bandit. Ba guy balemona kwati balicenjela, not again. When a snake bites your hand, you can bind some cloth somewhere, nomba apa isumine mumutwe, RB kakeni pa mukoshi ubusungu(vernom) ibutukila ku mutima. One day for a thief and another for the owner. RB… Loser!

  16. A diplomatic passport shields the carrier from prosecution, it has immunity attached. RB lost his immunity and he is appearing in the courts, it is right that he carries the right documents! A diplomatic passport is a privilege, plunderers and criminals should not be allowed this privilege.

  17. I am not a Banda symphathiser but my gosh humiliating a former head of state to this extend is way too much guys. One thing about Africa is that when a cylcle starts its hard to stop because PF wont be in power forever and I personally would not like to see Sata go through the same humiliation. It is not alright to abuse public funds considering all the needs the country has and Banda should made to answer but until that day comes we dont have to rub the mans face in the mud. But again with a compromised court system, he doesnt stand a chance. He should just get on a motor bike and ride through the bush to Angola and seek asylum somewhere mwe.

  18. What a country. Even with all those lawyers in the AG’s, DPP’s chambers, the PF can sink so low. How is the CJ interpreting all this. When LAZ talks, they are partisan. Oh no, hard to imagine the future.

  19. THIS MAN IS A SUSPECT WHO HAS NO IMMUNITY. THERE IS NOTHIG DIPLOMATIC ABOUT THE WAY HE HAS BEEN BEHAVING. DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT IS GIVEN TO EMINENT PERSONS WHO ARE EXPECTED TO PRESENT GOOD WILL AND A GOOD IMAGE OF THEIR COUNTRY. BUT RB HIRES A GOON OF A LAWYER WHO KEEPS INSULTING ZAMBIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT. RB TURNED THE GOVERNMENT INTO A FAMILY EMPIRE AND MADE CORRUPT OIL DEALS FRAUDULENTLY. WHAT IS SO DIPLOMATIC ABOUT THAT BEHAVIOUR? ALL SUCH SUSPERCTS ARE TREATED THE SAME. THERE ARE NO SACRED COWS. SATA SHOULD EXPECT TO BE TREATED THE SAME IF THERE WILL BE SIMILAR CASES AGAINST HIM. RB SHOULD NOT BE A SYMPATHY SEEKER. LET HIM BE A MAN AND STAND ON HIS FEET. LET HIM EXCULPATE HIMSELF ON ALL THE CHARGES LEVELLED GAINST HIM INCLUDING MONIES BURRIED BY THE LIATOS OF THIS WORLD.

  20. Upuba!So you want a suspect to be treated like an honourable being on account of his being the fourth President ?Ukupukuta!We need agresiveness in dealing with corrupt pipo.

  21. We have so many PF MPs, MMD MPs & UPND MPs and PF cadres & the educated who are too afraid to say no to the removal of Diplomatic Passport of the former president RB when done in bad faith. We have a bunch of cowards who can’t stand for the rights of others. When Chief Nkomesha of the Soli people was threaten by RB the people voiced out. Stand up for the truth and wake up from sleep you educated people. The fact that RB is accused does not mean he should be treated without dignity and respect. Why is the Government taking long to prosecute RB if it has all evidence as stated. If the Government does not have strong grounds to prosecute RB leave him alone until enough evidence is gathered otherwise RB’s freedom & rights are being stepped on in a Democratic and Christian Nation.

  22. Anyway if iam RB I wouldn’t worry about this, he is preaching
    Love while PF is preaching hate, revenge,killings Zambia is
    Becoming miserable sad news everywhere

  23. Let the courts and the DPP prove RB guilty by speeding up the cases. Any failing by Nchito to provide credible evidence (not photocopies and other forgeries) casts a lot of doubts on cases the DPP is prosecuting. It’s not the revocation of passports we the people of Zambia are interested in but seeing to it that evidence is adduced to recover what our treasury lost.

    We are not interested in the DPP dragging these cases for donkeys years in order to put more money in his friends’ (the Lawyers) pockets. I urge the republican president to set a time frame within which the DPP should conclude RB’s cases to avoid any further of public funds. I suggest one month.

    The earlier the cases are concluded the better for the country. We are tired of nolles.

  24. its very sad for our nation.oppsition should be more organised to issue checks abd balances to government.

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