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HH Challenges President Lungu to Setup a Commission of Inquiry into privatization

By Chief Editor
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United Party for National Development (UPND) has challenged President Edgar Lungu to set up a Commission of Inquiry in privatization and explain his role in the privatization of Zambia Cold Storage Board Limited and explain to what happened to the employees’ assets.

In a statement on his Facebook page, the UPND leader said that he is ready to explain his role in the privatization exercise for the umpteenth time, in his capacity as a consultant during the process and assured Zambians that he never betrayed them in any way, and that had he done that,  successive Governments would have thrown me in jail by now.

 

Below is the full statement

 

Fellow Zambians,

Ever since I stepped into the political arena, a lot of attempts by political competitors and some media houses have been made to malign, discredit and tarnish my name in an attempt to send me into some form of political oblivion, while I adopted the old adage that silence is golden.

Recently, the nation witnessed an age-old political debate that was instigated by a politician sponsored by Mr. Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front, and given unlimited media coverage on my role in privatisation, over a matter that has since been handed over to the courts for determination. This was a malicious campaign meant to pit me against the Zambian people.

I have realised that when dealing with characters who have no sense of shame and moral compass in life, silence is no longer golden. Consequently, I held a press conference in which I dispelled those allegations with documentation that I never sold any mine; I only advised the divestiture of a Hotel Mosi o Tunya and never bought any shares at the time of privatization; and the Kabulonga house I alleged to have bought as part of my privatisation involvement never belonged to Lima Bank, and that I bought it prior to privatization of Lima Bank.

This week however in Kasama and Mwansabombwe, Mr. Lungu continued to tell Zambians lies about my involvement in the privatization exercise, and called for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry. I want to say I heartily welcome that move urgently, for it will also give Mr. Lungu a chance to explain his role in the privatisation exercise, and what happened to the assets and former employees of Zambia Cold Storage Board Limited.

Further, I ask that Mr. Lungu also sets up a Commission of Inquiry to the following matters because they are of national importance;

  1. The people of Zambia would like to know how Mr Lungu increased his wealth from about K2million in 2014 (according 2015 Presidential Elections declarations), to about K22million in 2016. His salary and allowances do not align with such a leap in his fortunes.
  2. The selling of KCM after the 2001 elections;
  3. Privatisation of Zamtel as well as the Compensation given to “Libya” later;
  4. The procurement of 42 reconditioned Fire Trucks for $42m;
  5. The Purchase of a Gulfstream G650 Presidential Jet;
  6. The cancellation of a supply of a Sukhoi Superjet despite Government making a down payment;
  7. Procurement of ambulances at the cost of $288,000 per unit;
  8. The $17m contract awarded to honeybee Pharmacy to supply expired drugs;
  9. The $1.2 billion Lusaka/Ndola dual carriage way;
  10. The Mukula cartel allegations;
  11. The successive FIC report findings;
  12. The allegations of terrorist financing in East Africa;
  13. The COVID-19 funds and materials donated or allocated to the Ministry of health and Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit; and,
  14. The cartel supplying very expensive fuel to Zambia even when the global price is reasonably low and how those businessmen are bankrolling PF campaigns and State House.

As HH, I am ready to explain my role in the privatisation exercise for the umpteenth time, in my capacity as a consultant during the process. I can assure my fellow citizens that I never betrayed them in any way. Had I done that; successive Governments would have thrown me in jail by now.

Mr. Lungu is under pressure and I can only sympathise with his wild accusations. I also sympathise with him as he finds himself in a hopeless situation where he has no solutions to the many problems facing this country which is in the throes of an economic meltdown. He can save face by stepping down, and will go down a more honourable route of one of the few Presidents to have resigned in Africa.

Chief Editor
Chief Editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

54 COMMENTS

  1. PF bandits bring up a useless commission of inquiry on privatization in order to divert people’s attention from their looting, Hakainde also falls for it! Do we honestly need a commission of inquiry on outright thefts like purchase of fire tenders and Chitalu Chilufya’s ambulances? And even if we needed it, does Hakainde truly believe that Lungu will set up one which will implicate his associates? This guy is not called under 5 for nothing!

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  2. HH does not seem to realise this is politics. He has fallen for it flat. By the time he wakes up from this the verdict from the court of public opinion would have been passed and would be reeling from it. People would have already made their judgment. He has already made people believe there was wrongdoing on his part when he said the government of FTJ Chiluba went to sleep when they involved him in the valuation of assets. This is what seems to make allegations against him stick in court of public opinion. HH is not a politician and he better sticks to business he is more familiar with. He has failed to grow his party for love of money. How do you lend your own parliamentary candidates during elections and demand repayment from them with interest? Is that how best you grow a political…

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  4. Let’s have a televised court proceedings involving the best lawyers to sit in this commission of inquiry. We can also sell the rights to have it televised live anywhere around the globe. This will be the trial of the century and one that will set the precedence and send warning lessons to all would be leaders and also outside forces that sell Africa cheaply.

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  5. This is a good move President HH because the encumbrance on your name will be cleansed. But if you will be found wanting, that will be the end of your political career. His excellence President ECL, make sure that the inquiry starts right away because time is of essence here. 2021 is around the corner, if he is guilty let it be known in good time so that UPND finds a replacement in good time or if he is not guilty so that those who don`t vote for him because of privatization can now vote for him.

    PF and UPND you make us happy. Keep it up both of you.

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  6. Hh is now panicking. So why did you threaten nawakwi with legal action of $3million? Now you claim you are willing to answer before an inquiry. We know you are currently shredding any evidence that may implicate you. But remember that boma ni boma

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  7. Yes , I told you Hh to cease this nice guy image and get off that SDA stool , give lungu and his theiving gang as good as they dish out

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  8. I like the idea of the commission of inquiry. However, i am pretty sure it will be the same thing we have all come to know. The decisions made at the time where motivated by the prevailing economic circumstances. Nawakwi was categorical on this one. Most of those assets were sold at lower prices because we all know we were the weaker party at the bargaining table. Personally, i believe the people did their best under the prevailing circumstances then.

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  9. Again dissipating energy on things that would get one elected … Yes its an Issue that needs closure but you can welcome a Commission but not daring this one or that one.

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    • Reminds me of a case in a local court. A man wants to divorce his wife because she drinks too much. The wife says ee lelo kanande. Abalume bandi bala sundila pa bed. ‘my husband wets the bed at night’. My advice to HH is for him to explain his role in the privatisation of a three storey,four star mosi o tunya hotel which was demolished and replaced with a single storey ugly looking sun international hotel. Your attempt to bring in other issues cannot work because you will end up dragging in other people who may be so close to you while ECL will come out very clean because, as a president, he is not physically involved in tender procedures. As for cold storage board ltd, it’s people who own a lot of cows who can show a lot of interest in it’s Management. So HH should avoid being…

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  10. KZ

    Nawakwi will reveal in court what she knows , that court is not a threat , don’t worry……

    Well done HH , time to get off that SDA stool and fold your sleeves.

    Lungu needs to tell us how he made $2.3 million in 18 months.

    And explain why PF were gassing our people

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  13. Danielle

    This is a right call from hh , let the nation see and hear it for once and for all,

    This also a right time for lungu to do some explaining………

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    • Before HH entered politics a Tonga would stand in Mansa and a Bemba would stand in Monze and win the election hands down. I remember the popularity people like Vernon Mwaanga etc enjoyed in every part of the country and could stand anywhere and win. Enter the Dragon and everything has gone berserk where any of his members accept to serve in government is expelled from the party and ensures he loses a by election.

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  16. Please include the 42 Fire Tenders, Mukula and the Eswatini Mansion which is proceeds of crime by ACC definition. How do Zambians allow a sitting President to build in another country? Where is his allegiance?
    This is where Zambians must begin to THINK outside the box!
    Why are Zambians so boxed in when it comes to Freedom of Conscious?

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  17. HH if previous governments never prosecuted you does not mean you did not commit any wrongdoing in your execution of privitisation proceedings just consider yourself lucky but UMULANDU TAUBOLA. On Mosi-o-tunya Hotel the fact is that you were already a director of the Sun International Zambia that bought the hotel and you never declared interest. You used creative accounting and economics to benefit a lot from that transaction. YOU WERE NOT A SHAREHOLDER BUT YOU WERE A DIRECTOR that is the bottom line. TAWAKATEKEPO

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  18. Well spoken Mr. president! Monday Chanda or whatever you call yourself, we are waiting. Kaizer is too dull to be called on for such.

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  20. I am not a lwayer but I want to understand how Chilufya Tayali took Chishimba Kambwili to the police and court over his own Mwamona Engineering . The young man has really made ba Chishimba to dance pelete. Balwala na Covid imiku itatu.
    Is it possible also for our senior members of the party like JACK MWIIMBU, MWEETWA and others to take to court some of the issues raised by HH here instead of just shouting from the terraces? Take them on. Are you cowards???

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  21. Spaka the only one panicking is you. Look how many comments you have posted. Desperation. By the way LT only blocks f00lish comments.

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  22. Nawakwi will deal with HH on privatization. HH issued deadline on cash and apology from Nawakwi. Nawakwi just said ‘chose a finger’…..EL has more important things to focus on.

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  23. Badala you are a joke! When will you understand that politics is a game. And your are playing right into the laps of PF distractions. Meanwhile PF is strategising. I hope you understand what the new voters’ register is really meant for;
    By the way, there is a new meme trending
    #TAWAKATEKEPO

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  24. KZ

    Panic for what , ????

    You are not answering , what is wrong with a commission of enquiry as HH has dared lungu ????

    BTW , how did lungu raise $2.3 million in 18 months ???

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  27. Spaka no one said there was anything wrong with an inquiry. If anything it is me here since this issue came to light who has been calling for an inquiry. So I don’t know what you are trying to stress here.help me?

    Hh thinks by calling for an inquiry then psychologically we might not do it. We call it calling bluff. This won’t work with us because this is for the authorities to decide. No one is immune to being called upon. Even his excellency will answer to any allegations. The only one panicking is you spaka as if you are hh’s wlfe

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  28. This chik.ala is opting for the easy time waisting option. Arrest him so the courts can speedily deal with his specific case. How can he run to sue nawakwi, quickly & then he wants a commission for himself. Just arrest

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  31. KZ

    You as lungus rent boy , maybe can tell us why lungu will not sue those calling him a corrupt thief ????

    Also , those with evidence of hh wrong doing during privatisation should show it , or you will get your arse sued for lying …….

    A commission of enquiry should cover all privertisation suspects including lungu as hh has said

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  32. Yobo and KZ

    We dare you to arrest hh over privatisation….

    Those are just wet dreams of you thieves now hh is also dishing out the dirt……..

    You can’t can’t break the Bally , the man is a genius. Lungu bankrupted Zambian fighting the Bally in 2016…

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  33. Who is making noise here about privatization?

    Bally is challenging you to institute commission of enquiry and you will be shocked the skeletons and living ones will be revealed.

    The problem with these mwankoles is that they think they are saints.

    Edgar Lungu is a well known thief, a man who swindled a, widow and today he can claim to be clean.

    We need serous people to govern the Zambia not this chancer called Edgar Lungu.

    If not careful here next year and we allow him for another 5 years, I tell you even countries like Yemen will be better than Zambia to live in.

    PF must go!

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  34. KZ and other PF rats are now bewildered ….

    Hh has followed advice to stop being the nice guy and call out the theives ……

    Let lungu also sue those calling him a corrupt theif…..

    The rats Now calling for the arrest of HH without any evidence…..

    Hehehehe……

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  35. Ndanje Khakis

    Hh has been around in politics for decades , losing , yet we have never had the political violence and corruption , tribal hatred and divisions we see today…….

    Only with the entrance of lungu are we seeing such a deterioration of every aspect of normalcy in Zambia…….

    I would like to belive the illiterate old man sata would not have managed to mess up the country as far as lungu has……

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  37. The problem with these mwankoles are so naive and confident that they retain power next year.

    History has taught us that bye-elections are not good measure or indicators of how one will get in the general elections.

    You PF maggots, just relax and fake in t easy your time to account is coming.

    PF must go!

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  38. HH don’t buy into Kangaroo Commissions of inquries or support the idea. Let them charge you. It’s a distraction to keep you busy while they are busy campaigning. They will tie you up and be dictating the direction of the outcome. A kangaroo ? commission of enquiry can take for ever with no results or you could be found wanting on collaborated evidence. Remember you are not the appointing Officer of the commission. What can stop Lungu from Appointing Tutwa or Simusamba? This is not about justice or privatisation! It’s about politics to get you out of the way. They all know the truth that you are not guilty. Stop being emotional and playing into their hands. NO COMMISSION OF INQURY SHOULD BE ENTERTAINED. #PF#STOPCOMMIASIONOFINQUIRYNONSENSE!
    START #NOCOMMISSIONOFINQUIRY CAMPAIGN!

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  39. 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

    First of all, what will be the terms of this so called Commission of enquiry? That we shouldn’t have privatised public assets? Or that they were sold out at a song? Or that there was corruption? Or that the proceeds were stolen? We stand a good chance with the last one… i.e. the money realised from the sales were misappropriated and channeled into people’s bank accounts, the leader of which was FTJ. Unfortunately the State at a huge cost tried suing FTJ and didn’t go anywhere. The cartel destroyed evidence.
    The things listed by HH don’t need CoE because we know Lungu and his minions stole.

  40. Gutter politics at work. I still think this HH guy needs to fire his advisors and renew his stance. Having allowed these lies to be repeated over time will quite an effort to snuff considering Zambians are generally populist and lack a good critical reading culture. Good luck with this new effort. Get new advisors. Never ever spare detractors, liars and professional dubious politicians.

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  41. Corruption opportunities exist along the entire privatization process, from inception, to tender, and sale of public assets, and they likely are larger when the administrators of the former system manage the privatization schemes (Martimort and Straub 2009; Rose-Ackerman 2002; Sandholtz and Taagepera 2005). In post-Soviet transition countries, IMF programs mandated mass privatizations which increased corruption, as managers with good connections to the authorities appropriated many of the former public enterprises (Hamm, King, and Stuckler 2012; Stone 2002; Wedel 2001). Similar cases of increased corruption in the wake of privatization were documented in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and East Asia (Manzetti and Blake 1996; Mwenda and Tangri 2005; Painter 2005).privatization…

  42. Just review the minutes and recommendations on his Board meetings with ZCCM IH and GRZ ultilities how he creatively did debt swaps on those payables and amounts for those bills and payables reducing creatively the cash consideration NOW JUST THIS POST PRIVATISATION REPORT is enough to show that there was no public interest and value That’s why that impact makes him not be voted by man ieg.worldbankgroup.orgsitesdefaultfilesDatareportszambia_wp_post_privatization.pdf

  43. On RAMCOZ roan antelope board meetings and see different disclosure valuation methods with Zamtel RP capital or Zanaco atleast in those its a fraud

  47. Under the Act, the ZPA must publish certain information by notice in the Gazette, including the names of registered
    consultants and advisers, the names of bidders and how much they are bidding, and the successful bidders and the
    reason they have been selected. The ZPA must also submit an annual report and accounts to the Minister of Finance who
    presents these to the National Assembly before the report is published for sale to the public. A parliamentary select
    committee on parastatals monitors the operations of ZPA.

  48. The UN’s International Code of Conduct for Public Officials stipulates that:
    13
    ‘Public officials shall not use their official authority for the improper advancement of their own or
    their family’s personal or financial interest. They shall not engage in any transaction, acquire any
    position or function or have any financial, commercial or other comparable interest that is
    incompatible with their office, functions and duties or the discharge thereof.’

  49. Popular participation in privatisation through the wide public ownership of shares is at best a myth and at worst a
    subterfuge for the further concentration of economic power. Such industries were owned on behalf of the Zambian
    people and it is therefore unacceptable for an elite band of investors to benefit from the purchase and sale of shares // Handover to Gary

  50. RAMCOZ was sold off at a consideration of US$35 million and that the receiver Grant Thornton was paid US$3 total of US$3,306,783 as receivership fees, from August 2002 to January 2006. Roan Antelope Copper Mines Limited (RAMCOZ) was initially sold to the Binani Group of Companies in 1997 for a consideration of US$35,000,000. Payment of the US$35,000,000 ITS FRAUD THE BEST IS TO RETIRE FROM PUBLIC

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