Friday, March 29, 2024

YALI formally asks Chief Justice to Open Inquiry into Privatization

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The Young African Leaders’ Initiative (YALI) has formally written to Chief Justice, Ireen Mambilima requesting her to open an inquiry either through a tribunal or Commission of Inquiry into the sale of national assets which took place between 1992 and 1998.

In a letter dated 3rd September 2020 addressed to the Chief Justice, signed by YALI President Andrew Ntewewe and made available to media said that this will help the nation to settle the question surrounding the continuous public discussion on how national assets were sold.

YALI states that as an example, there are public allegations that some consultants appointed to preside over negotiations in the sale of Mosi-o-Tunya hotel and rainbow hotel in Livingstone were acting part of bidders on behalf of an entity to whom the national assets were sold and dubbed themselves as sellers and negotiators on behalf of the Zambian government.

In the letter, YALI is asking that the commission of inquiry be instituted to look into the manner and fashion in which Zambia’s entire privatization process was handled in the late 1990s.

It is of the view that the terms of reference must include identifying all those that might have unduly benefited from the privatization process and establishing whether such undue benefit constituted a criminal offense or not.

Further, YALI wants the inquiry to ascertain whether the disposal of national assets were done in accordance with a system that was fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective and that in instances where the commission finds that these tenets were not adhered to, the Commission must be given the power to declare that the sale was unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional, and null and void.

36 COMMENTS

  1. Fupuba ubu YALI, ignore current corruption and divert our attention to 30 year old case that was vetted and accepted by international bodies like IMF. If 4 other presidents had no issue with it why waste our precous time and energy on bygones. We have had enough of failures who always blame others or an individual for all their failures. Nawakwi has gone cold feet about going to court and if you YALI think this tribunal will net HH you’re in for a rude awakeing as even your sponsor was part of the privatization fiasco.

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  2. Especially sale of Zambia Airways and all those assets QZ had all over the world. Why didn’t they look for a partner like KQ did. Was writting it off the best option?

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  3. Lungu is dead set on getting one HH come whatmay, lungu feels it is only HH who is a threat to his liberty post presidency.

    Within or outside the law , lungu will try his best to bury HH just like he buried the post newspaper.

    HH should be under no illusions about lungus determination to bend laws to get at his percived enemies.
    The plot to bury UPND backfired with the gassing campain.
    This privertisation is the new plot to bury UPND.

    HH , we advise you to start marshalling the CW , EU and other western governments about lungus intentions.
    Lungu and PF can not survive without their forigne aid.
    Western govs dont want another Mugabe.

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  4. If I was the Chief Justice I would remind Mr.YALI Mtewewe that the “current discussion about how state assets were sold” are part of a wider Politically charged atmosphere and my office cannot be moved by political contests.That the so-called tribunal enquiry would unnecessarily struggle to be objective in the prevailing circumstances. I would then advice Mr YALI to re-appeal for the enquiry immediately after the 2021 general elections.An event that has lain dormant for thirty years can surely wait for just another eleven months

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  5. After the PF gassing campain intended to bury UPND , which saw 50 innocent civilians killed , backfired spectacularly in lungus face

    , this privertisation is the latest plot to cripple UPND.

    We say , after the gassings failed to have UPND banned , we have more urgent pressing economic needs to attend to and an inquiry into privertisation can wait until after 2021……

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  6. It’s only the timing which is wrong, towards Elections! Otherwise, a broadbased inquiry chaired by a neutral person not appointed by the President will help this country put such matters to rest. Twenty years from now, another request will be made to investigate how PF accrued debt to the point of bankruptcy.
    To avoid going round in such circles, we need to adopt a pragmatic approach as a people and question things in real-time as mistakes are made. Such enquiries should never be reduced to witch hunt exercises targeting political opponents otherwise they remain futile and expensive undertakings!

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  7. It’s only the timing which is wrong, towards Elections! Otherwise, a broadbased inquiry chaired by a neutral person not appointed by the President will help this country put such matters to rest. Twenty years from now, another request will be made to investigate how PF accrued debt to the point of bankruptcy.
    To avoid going round in such circles, we need to adopt a pragmatic approach as a people and question things in real-time as mistakes are made. Such enquiries should never be reduced to witch hunt exercises targeting political opponents otherwise they remain futile and expensive undertakings!!!

  8. If I was the chief Justice I would remind Mr YALI Mtewewe that the current “discussion on how state assets were sold” is part of a wider Politically charged atmosphere and that my office cannot be moved by political contests. That the so-called tribunal inquiry would unnecessarily struggle to be objective in the prevailing circumstances. I would then advice Mr YALI to re-appeal immediately after the 2021 general elections.An event that has lain dormant for thirty years can surely wait for just another eleven months.

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  9. imagine if this YALI was a profit making organisation, guess they would have contributed to the treasury so much dough, but niba mushani food.

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  10. One of the reasons why this usually comes up towards elections is that voters are scrutinizing the candidates especially HH who is the leader of Zambia’s largest opposition political party. They want to know what kind of person they are putting in state house. Is he a privatization thief or is an innocent enterprising person. Zambians need answers to a lot of question from HH including what Sajani meant when he said only a Tonga can rule UPND before the caste the vote.

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  11. The CJ doesn’t institute commissions of inquiry. The way Zambians respond to situations is indicative of the net national intelligence. Most Zambians are generally dull, now I understand why Mwine Lubemba said the nation lacks critical thinkers. Some are insulting while others have even declared war because HH is a thief

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  12. Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    Fun this one… the low IQ Zambians only do things to target individuals perceived to be enemies. If done properly this enquiry would would actually find those who served under the MMD government with case to answer. Problem is most key witnesses are either dead (FTJ, Sata) or bankrupt and leaving in squalor. Some companies have since even folded and pulled out.
    Nawakwi as a decision maker will be found wanting; so will be Katele Kalumba. Consultants will give evidence of how the govt ignored their advice. Most corporate consultants are usually shielded from prosecution because they are not responsible for the final decision… they just make recommendations. Barring direct stealing, you cannot be sued for giving financial advice.

    Also they should find out where the proceeds went…

  13. Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans Corruption scandals: 48 Houses Social Security Cash Luxury Presidential Jet Ambulances Fire Trucks Mukula Trees Ndola-Lusaka Rd Malawi Maizegate Fuelgate Swaziland landgate Zesco Loans

    …Also they should find out where the proceeds went.

    And while we are looking at this, we should examine how the airport, ZNBC, ZESCO went to the Chinese. I like the suggestion by @ Chikubabe above of having checks and balances in real time, and not after 30 years. Right now Lungu is stealing with impunity and no one is talking about it because he’s viewed as an untouchable King dictator.

  14. Lets also open inquiry into how the head of state and his daughter has amassed so much wealth and the $42m fire trucks and etc.

  15. We are now linking this privertisation witch hunt as a successor to the failed PF gassing campain to have HH and UPND arrested and banned ,

    the gassing campain failed spectacularly, hence this new plot with all PF bootlickers …….

    We are not against an inquiry , HH would welcome that, however we know the timing is for lungus survival…….

    If this privertisation issue is not intended to ban HH, we sugest announcing a date after the 2021 elections ,

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  16. An excellent move.

    For those pointing fingers at other offenders sitting on dubiously acquired wealth, its worth noting that, one wrong cannot right another; they all have to be dealt with, regardless of time span and by whom. It’s just a matter of sequence.

    There has to be a starting point for dealing with this sort of wealth acquisition at the expense of unsuspecting Zambians.
    This will serve as a bench mark for future governments, and hopefully, individuals with criminal intent, will be less keen to defraud the state.

    The deterent has to be that, however long it takes, the state will always claw back what you stole.

  17. IWE KA NTEWEWEWEWEWE…. WHY RESTRICT THE PERIOD….. LET IT COVER FROM 1964 TO NOW 2020…. WE WANT A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON ALL ALL CITIZENS.. BASICALLY A LIFE AUDIT ON ALL CITIZENS EVEN THOSE THAT ARE DEAD. THAT IS WHAT WE CALL FAIRNESS. Otherwise it BEANS

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  18. You can be jealous of the man and wish that you were the one, but no law was broken. It may be unethical but it was not wrong. It is like a 40 year old man who married a 12 year old girl in 1970. It was not illegal then. It may be terrible to think of it today, but it was normal at that time. The law cannot be applied in retrospect.

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  19. Thieves pointing at an innocent person as the thief. It will fail. Just look at how Nawakwi has been shifting her accusations. She started with the mines, now do you hear her talk about the mines? Next it was the kabulonga house, do you still hear her talk about that house? She then went to owning shares at sun, again once she realized that HH doesn’t own any shares she went mute on that one. She is now just waffling about declaration of interest which again is a non starter. We are just waiting for an appropriate time to embarrass her on that one. HH is innocent. The people who would be implicated if a tribunal were to be conducted on privatization would be people like Edith, the witch doctor kalumba and all their cohorts. That bunch would even lose the houses which they bought through…

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  20. Guys be serious, why are you only talking about this now. This is not Russia where they play dirty politics….And shut people up…PF your time has come for you to go. At this point there is nothing you can do to change our minds.
    You are all thieves and corrupt the time has come for you to go. GO Well.

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  21. @China,
    This matter will never rest until it is settled amicably by a legally constituted legal body and the time is now and not wait for election time and some people involved will start crying as being targeted. 4 weeks hearing and one week report compilation which should be made public and not handed to the President alone. We have had previous commissions of Inquiry reports never released.
    The CJ should not take time to appoint this legal body. Its time this matter came to rest.

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  22. This is great development. I support the calls for an inquiry too. If anything I called for this weeks ago. I believe an inquiry will ensure that questions are asked and answered in a controlled environment so that pompous HH is actually forced to explain what he did or didnt do once and for all. We shall not be shaken by threats of being sued by ka HH. Majority of country is asking him the same question. So is he going to sue the entire country for $3million . The man is nuts. niwofunta HH.

    Meanwhile I have started my weekend already. My silly friends have just told me they have bought some champagne for tonight. twanwa

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  23. @THE SAINT , What is UNETHICAL about participating in Privatisation as a paid consultant. Then it was also UNETHICAL for ECL to participate in the COLD Storage Sale. So lets disqualify both HH and ECL then and try KZ or NTEWEWE for PRESIDENT (Who ARE 100% ETHICAL.)… kikikikikiki

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  24. In 2008, the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) chairman and Chief Executive Francis Kaunda and Access Financial Services (AFS) Director Faustin Kabwe were jailed for two years each with hard labour for abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud during privatisation. YALI, do you want the courts to revisit the privatisation issue?

  25. When is the International Criminal Court going to prob Edgar Lungu for allegedly financing terrorist acts on Rwandan territory, subject to revelations made by a rebel leader undergoing trial in Rwanda.

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  26. In 2008, the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) chairman and Chief Executive Francis Kaunda and Access Financial Services (AFS) Director Faustin Kabwe were jailed for two years each with hard labour for abuse of office and conspiracy to defraud during privatisation. YALI, do you want the courts to revisit the privatisation issue?

  27. The rats have set the “house” on fire. Kaizar Zulu the actor is seated at the back of the stage, pretending he is not masterminding all this as PLAN B RIGGGING STRATEGY.

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  28. The rats have set the “house” on fire, who will survive. Kaizar Zulu the actor is seated at the back of the stage, pretending he is not masterminding all this as PLAN B RIGGGING STRATEGY.

  29. HH don’t respond to those in the courts of public opinion asking you to explain your wealth. Be professional and leave everything to your lawyers.Remember, any thing you say can, and will be held against you.

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  30. After PF is out of office there will be a million inquiries; 48, Fire wheelbarrows, illegal minister pay, mukula, covid money, … I see why PF wants to rig elections pantu bakakakwa

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  31. This is just a distraction from Corruption under the PF Govt from 2011 to date to possible corruption under the MMD Govt 20 to 30 years ago. Why waste time on a Programme that was implemented 20 to 30 years ago? The Corruption by the current PF Govt is more of a Priority than Privatization. Edith has been hired by PF to divert attention from current corruption to MMD Corruption in the 1990s. People are more concerned about corruption related to 42 Fire Tenders, 48 houses,road comtracts,Eurobonds etc These are the current issues that matter.

  32. Every ‘Jim and Jack’ desperately trying to appear relevant. I suppose pieces of silver are being dangled. Other critical matters involving the serving govt. have been and are still being glossed over. Unbelievable!

  33. Yali must also ask the chief justice to constitute a commission of inquiry on how we how tax payers have had to pay a million dollar for a fire tender and the 48 houses without owners .

  34. It was 30 years ago, but I lost a dear friend to gassing n so far no mention of it by government, what’s going on. He was taken away leaving 3 children n a jobless widow.

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