Government has clarified that proceeds of the sale from the 21 trucks intercepted by suspected UPND and PF cadres at Shimabala, on suspicion that they were carrying Mukula logs are well accounted for.
Acting Chief Government spokesperson Hon. Stephen Kampyongo says the proceeds have been deposited in government accounts as stipulated in the financial regulations act and not in any individuals’ accounts as alleged by some sections of society.
Speaking at a joint media briefing with the Ministers of Defence and Lands, on the status of timber operations, Hon. Kampyongo said it is unfortunate that the trucks were intercepted by the cadres on suspicion that they were carrying Mukula logs belonging to senior government officials.
He said the Zambia Forest and Forestry Industry Corporation (ZAFFICO) was issued with three export permits by the ministry of Lands for the 21 trucks.
Hon. Kampyongo said this has been done in order to salvage the economic value of the illegal logs other than letting the logs go to waste.
He further clarified that ZAFFICO is mandated to export mukula logs despite the ban on their export still being in effect.
He said the ban, alongside other measures put in place by government has reduced the rampant harvesting, trading and transporting of the Mukula species.
Meanwhile, some suspected PF cadres have been summoned by police for intercepting Mukula laden trucks.
The said cadres are being quizzed as home affairs minister Steven Kampyongo says their conduct is criminal.
Mr. Kampyongo says citizen arrest must be done within the provisions of the law.
He further said the Mukula logs were lawfully being exported after being seized by government.
And a civil society organisation says the Mukula Logs saga is clear indication of the deep rooted corruption in the PF government.
Zitukule Consortium Executive Director Nicholas Phiri wonders why the Mukula export ban is being applied selectively.
He has also questioned why ZAFFICO used foreign trucks to transport Mukula if the transaction was done in good faith.
The PF cadres who intercepted the trucks displayed documents which they claimed were fake. Some had multiple serial numbers which were the same on different documents.
Why are you arresting them? Why can’t you prove to them the validity of the transaction and prove them wrong? I would think the Government will commend them for their alertness and heroism in making sure no illegal exportation of the trees is happening. It’s strange that you have to arrest patriotic citizens.
@Lombe (MA), I totally agree with you. What is citizen arrest kanshi? I thought it is a forcible detaining of an individual suspected of having committed a crime by a person who is not a police or otherwise certified law enforcement officer? And that this could be a private citizen, without the authority of an arrest warrant issued from a court of law? The only requirement under citizen arrest is to surrender the suspect to the police as soon as possible as well as use of only such reasonable force as is necessary to contain the individual and prevent escape. And from video clips circulating, this is exactly what the PF youths did. Garry Nkombo who witnessed the episode also confirmed this. The youths even displayed suspected fake documents. So where is criminality there? PF has really…
……yankala malabishi!
This is the game this government is playing, always asking people to provide evidence where there is corruption. The best the people can do is to report where there is suspected corruption, it’s up to Police and ACC to find the evidence.
In this case, even when those cadres provided the seized fake document, the police will do everything to defend the government and lock up those vigilant cadres.
Its government for government and not government for the people.
Indeed, in fact the poor souls were busy saying, “The president can’t be everywhere, we are helping him to govern”. What they didn’t realize is that the president is the thief. Kaizer Zulu is his master mind.
A case of thieves investigating themselves and attempting to cover their tracks as they go along…
A thief is a thief. You have the money deposited in some off-shore account, somewhere. Clever thieves, are you not?
ZAFFICO has no account of its own. Zaffico will export and sell the tress but they wont get the money. So whats the point of zaffico selling the trees let the government sell on its own. please explain where the money will be used
These are public coffers. Please show us the deposit slips or money transfers. Thieves!!!!!!!!
So Mr Toad (Chimp)yongo, are U saying you have now managed to transfer cash from your corrupt proceeds account, into the Zaffico account?
You have been very busy & vocal over this Mukula scandal.
We are NOT daft, & know due to Jona & chi Kaizer getting cuts, Kalaba has seen enough, & rightly jumped ship from the P.F nest of Rats & Vipers.
Donchi you worry, Namibia has impounded one of your corrupt drivers smuggling your Mukula, & because Namibia is still a functioning democracy, unlike Zed which is a failed state led by a drunk, truth will come out SOON. Uz@zinye1a Chimpyongo!!
Kampyongo, had you managed to sneak those trucks out of the country, would you still announce proceeds have been deposited? You are a government of crooks, thieves and criminals. Kampyongo you have no shame to even sit in that office as a professional crook.
Has he become the treasury ?
The same accounts folks from the ministry of general education were withdrawing from without shame? This govt is a bag of jokes full of selfish and dishonest people! anyways what do you expect from a president who owns a casino? free bibles?
Kampyongo niwebo sakalanyongo!
This is like Columbia seizing drugs from a drug cartel and selling them and claim the money will used by government. Mukula harvesting has been declared as illegal in Zambia. All illegally acquired or seized logs should have turned in charcoal which could have more useful to Zambian than exporting to China. Take a leaf from Kenya where they torched tonnes of elephant tusks. Show the people that it is unprofitable to deal in mukula trees. Besides, how do prosecute illegal loggers when the evidence is being exported? Bonkers!
Yes why use foreigne trucks
Produce documentary evidence that the proceeds were deposited into government coffers
Kampyongo thinks and treats Zambians as such stupid *****s
Ba minishta, do you REALLY expect that anybody with positive IQ will believe your daily dose of oral crap?
I have one question. If the GRZ had banned the export of Mukula and then they gave ZAFFICO the mandate to do so, why was this not publicized beforehand? Why wasn’t the nation made aware that ZAFFICO would be exporting the logs that were seized from illegal traders? Why is this only coming out now, after so much dust and suspicion has been raised? Gentlemen, let’s have some integrity. The only thing that follows you to your grave is your integrity. Friends, wealth, houses will all remain.
Time is catching up with you my dear kampyongo
Kampyongo is dull minister. What proof are to show us and when did ZAFICO made deposits on all the moneys into governments Accounts? Cheat yourself and not the Nation any longer. All of you guys have been exposed for your theft from Kalaba and many more are coming out.
where is your sanity governance? I where is fatherless child Frank Bwalya?
This ***** must tell us how much the sale price was and how much has been deposited, when, which account, and let the Bank acknowledge. That cannot change the fact that there are illegalities, corruption and theft of the highest order by Ba Koswe mu mpoto.
its taken them this long to create lies
How much was realized? Give us the figures.
They dont mention how much is in there because its taken them this long fabricating this lie!!
Why talk of proceeds now? And who is talking about proceeds? Please account for all the illegal exports first and that’s what when we want to talk about proceeds. Don’t jump the gun.
From being transparency, the minister should have given the value of the transactions so that those who looks at govt accounts can verify. Actual profit realized is needed and whether the importer footed the transport costs and who is the importer for transparency. Now they can hold press statement, the whole thing will not go away. It is only a click of core Lungu supporters in govt who are eating and defend each other when exposed. This click will die defending the status quo and opposition to need to mobilise to win big in 2021 otherwise will click to power still.
There is something fishy about the whole thing. How come all Zambians including Kapyongo himself had no idea ZAFFICO was exporting Mukula on behalf of the Zambian Government?!! Remember Kampyongo had to wait for some investigation for him to know what was going on. As far as we were all concerned, there was a ban on Mukula Export. Nobody announced some special dispensation had been made for some exports to take place. From the look of things, not even the Minister of Lands knew what was happening. How come only the Permanent Secretary of Defense knew what was happening? SOMETHING IS OFF SOMEWHERE SO PLEASE RELEASE THE VIGILANT PF CADRES WHO INTERCEPTED THOSE TRUCKS OTHERWISE PF GOVERNMENT WILL GET EMBARRASSED.
This is day light robbery. We are in trouble. Home affairs ministry now sells trees.
For how long has this been going on ? Ba Kampyongo you will not enjoy this money.Nobody believes you.Prepare for the worst.You are defending wrong things. I know ECL will abandon you just as he has over the refund of salaries for illegally overstaying in office! After PF, believe me, your life will be misery.Ask Katele Kalumba and Daily Nation Sakala.
Why did they have to say “they are investigating”? Did they have to investigate to make that statement? This is just an explanation after being caught red handed!
This transaction has be concluded super fast. The trucks were only impounded 72hrs ago. What about the ones detained in Namibia, are they part of the same consignment? You guys Akampyongo, every time you speak, you get deeper in the hole. The Game is over, stop digging!
They killed an elephant, and now they are claiming it was just a rat. No, it was an elephant – too big to hide. It is beginning to stink.
When and did the Mukula Auction take place? Who bought the logs and credited GRZ Account? Which GRZ Bank Account was used? Since the Mukula Export ban remains valid the Auction and the Export are both illegal. Kampyongo should just stop lying becoz the govt’s story in not credible.
You can see that even some PF cadres can no longer tolerate the level of corruption going on in PF and have started exposing it themselves and meanwhile Lungu and his friends think it is business as usual. What a shame! Kampyongo go back to school to improve your level of reasoning.
So the Chinese quickly paid in advance? These are long drawn out arrangements. A lot must already have been going on in the background – including an invisible auction.