MMD chairperson for Legal Affairs George Kunda has alleged that some senior Patriotic Front (PF) officials want Vice-President Guy Scott to vacate office on grounds that his parents were not Zambians.

But PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba has dismissed Mr Kunda’s claims.

Commenting on Mr Kunda’s allegations, Mr Kabimba said it is absurd for the former Vice-President to allege that there are some senior PF members backing calls for Dr Scott to leave office.

Mr Kunda has maintained that Dr Scott is constitutionally not qualified to hold the office of the Vice-President because of his parentage.

He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the MMD has received overwhelming support from some senior PF members who want Dr Scott to relinquish his position.

Mr Kunda said Dr Scott should vacate office so that the people who are qualified can take over the position.

“Our position as MMD is that Dr Scott does not qualify to hold office. We don’t want him to waste our time by taking him to court. He should vacate office as soon as possible before we hammer him with court cases.

“Why has he never been appointed by President Michael Sata to act as President? The reason is very simple. The man does not qualify to hold the office of the Vice-President,” he said.
Mr Kunda said the PF has a lot of qualified people who can take over Dr Scott’s position.

“Why is it that the Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda is the one who acts as President in President Sata’s absence, when Dr Scott is in the country? ” Mr Kunda said.

Mr Kunda has also charged that the recent constitution of commissions of inquiry by President Sata is a clear indication that the PF government will soon nationalise all the major former state-owned companies privatised by the former MMD government.

He said the commissions are a waste of tax payers’ money.

Mr Kunda said it is unfortunate that President Sata has continued to appoint commissions of inquiry to probe the sale of some former state-owned companies.

He alleged that all the commissions of inquiry have a predetermined outcome which will affect the country’s investment portfolio.

“Our worry is that there is no continuity in the governance of the country. When the PF came into office, they promised that there will be no disruption in the governance of the country. But now they have introduced the socialist way of governance.

“All these commissions of inquiry are predetermined. We are aware that after Zanaco, the PF government will move to the mines,” Mr Kunda said.

He urged the PF government to come up with clear and deliberate policies to enhance investor confidence.

Mr Kabimba said the PF is one of the best disciplined party in the country and that Dr Scott is still enjoying support from all party members.

“We are a disciplined party and we are all behind the appointment of Dr Scott as Vice-President. He has worked very hard for the party and contributed to bringing it to where it is now. Dr Scott is very loyal to the party and the President and this is the reason why he was appointed Vice-President,” he said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

LABOUR Minister Chishimba Kambwili, who has recently made headlines in the papers, yesterday said the plight of Zambian workers is something he is ready to die for because it is close to his heart.

The abrasive minister, whose statements have sometimes riled sections of the diplomatic corps, and raised red flags among some investors, added that his intentions are not to chase investors.
“Jesus the Son of God was crucified for doing the right thing and people do not like me because what I am doing is the right thing,” he said.

The minister said if he has to “die” to give Zambians a decent wage, respect and a better life they deserve, then so be it.

Mr Kambwili said he feels that he has been deeply misunderstood by people who say he has a habit of intimidating, threatening and even bashing investors during a Hot FM live radio programme called the Hot Seat.

“Those who are condemning me for doing the right thing I am not worried,”Mr Kambwili, a former Copperbelt businessman, said and added: “I have nothing against the investors, it would be useless for me as a minister to chase the investors.”

Mr Kambwili vowed to continue his highly publicised controversial tours as soon as he completes the “paperwork” on tours undertaken thus far.

He appealed to ambassadors working in Zambia to help him by sensitising the investors from their countries to operate within the law singling out the Chinese envoy for his appeal.

“The Chinese ambassador and me had a very good meeting on Wednesday and he has invited me to the acrobatics at Government House today (yesterday) and we agreed on the mistakes that have been made,” Mr Kambwili said.

He also disclosed that he has made up with the Chinese doctor whom he last week exchanged fingers with as both the minister and the doctor got infuriated by “finger-pointing” during a discussion that did not go very well.

He said as a minister, he has the power to revoke the work permit of any foreign investor and no-one can stop him including the President.

He said the President has made it clear: “We want investment and we respect it but not at the expense of beating our people and giving them slave salaries.”

He warned employers, employees and everybody to “watch this space” as he liberates the Zambian labour fraternity from oppressive employers he did not name.

Mr Kambwili has come under fire for various incidents starting from intervening in salary negotiations to berating employers during his tour of Copperbelt companies prompting some anti-donor sentiments at one point.

State House this week issued a statement asking ministers and other Government officials to refrain from issuing statements that are not backed by policy.

United Party for National Development Leader Hakainde Hichilema has charged that it is becoming evident everyday that the wishes of the masses that voted for change during the last general elections are being betrayed by the PF Government.

In a statement released to the media today, Mr Hichilema said that the change that was voted for is slowly beginning to resemble the old MMD regime.

He said that nothing has changed as the style of governance of the Michael Chilufya Sata led government is worse than the MMD government they have replaced.

Mr Hichilema said that in the previous regime, Zambians were unhappy with the use of Presidential powers to intimidate people and traditional rulers, citing the case when former President Rupiah Banda threatened to revoke the recognition of Chieftainess Nkomenshya.

He said that today President Michael Sata has continued on this wrong path and that he is even getting worse.

The UPND leader stated that President Sata is on record of mocking the Litunga, not long ago, while he recently threatened to revoke the recognition of the Eastern province Chiefs, Chief Madzimawe and Senior Chief Nzamane for merely expressing a view different from that of the President and Paramount Chief Mpezeni.

Mr Hichilema said that President Sata should desist from maneuvers to intimidate and threaten chiefs.

QFM

THE Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has transferred a lawyer who has been serving on the combined team of security personnel investigating corruption in the previous administration to Chirundu in unclear circumstances.

This has raised eyebrows as the move is suspected to be a cover up of corrupt activities that he may expose against some senior officials.

Mr Tresford Chali has also been moved from the legal department to customs services division with immediate effect following a memorandum authored by Commissioner General Berlin Msiska dated January 26, 2012 to the office of the director of Human Resources.

The development comes in the wake of a recommendation by Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Maxwell Nkole in a letter dated December 22, 2011 to the Attorney General for Mr Chali to be appointed co-prosecutor in the Pepsi deal and the single-sourced deal on the installation and management of scanners at some border posts.

Mr Msiska has noted that Mr Chali’s department lacked the ability to supervise subordinates by allowing him to operate from the task force offices without written authority from ZRA.

“I have received repetitive complaints from Mr Chali’s division about his irregular reporting for work and commitment to his duties. One such complaint was that Mr Chali was reporting from the task force office under the Inspector General’s office without written authority from ZRA,” Mr Msiska stated in his letter copied to the Board Secretary and Commissioner Customs Services.

The ZRA report constituted to probe allegations of corruption has revealed that Mr Chali objected to the deal in which Cargo Scans earned huge sums of money per month on the scanners that were procured using tax payers money.

“The commission noted that an assistant legal officer by the name of Tresford Chali had recommended for the termination of the contract in his legal opinion, on Cargo Scans rendered on March 10, 2011. As at November 2011, ZRA had not terminated the Cargo Scan contract,” the Kingsley Chanda Commission of Inquiry wrote in its report that was released by Minister of Finance and National Planning Alexander Chikwanda recently.

In his letter to the attorney general which was also copied to the director of public prosecutions (DPP), Mr Nkole recommended that Mr Chali should be attached to the combined team of security officers as a co-prosecutor in the Pepsi deal in the event that arrests were effected.

Mr Nkole said Mr Chali was already working with the team and had provided much valuable advice in finding critical evidence needed to compile the case file.

“This request is made against the understanding that Mr Chali possesses capacity and authority under the ZRA Act to, not only investigate but to prosecute on behalf of the institution,” Mr Nkole wrote.

But Mr Chali has since received a transfer letter to Chirundu on the same date that Mr Msiska wrote to the human resources asking them to transfer him.

The letter authored by acting director of human resources Oneson Musabi dated January 26, 2012 when the directive was issued, states that Mr Chali must move to Chirundu with immediate effect as a senior customs collector.

“By copy of this letter, the finance division is advised to amend their records and pay you subsistence allowance. Further, they should start paying you hardship allowance and arrange to pay you disturbance allowance as soon as you move to Chirundu, while administration department is advised to arrange transport to move your family and personal effects as soon as you are ready,” the letter to Mr Chali says.

Mr Msiska has instead recommended senior inspector of taxes Mrs Mahongo Machayi and ZRA prosecutor Eugene Chisenga for the taskforce assignment.

Mr Chali’s legal opinion rendered in March last year on the scanners was that the contract between ZRA and Cargo Scans be terminated and that ZRA should instead seek a refund or set off the money spent on buying spares and that the property must revert to the tax collector.

He recommended that ZRA should only pay Cargo Scans for the maintenance of the scanners during the period when the scanners were non-operational as opposed to paying them all the time.

Mr Chali referred to Clause 9.3.1 which did not oblige ZRA to give reasons for terminating the contract.

When he announced an all-round fight against corruption after assuming power, President Michael Sata urged Zambians to report incidents of corruption to law enforcement agencies.

[Times of Zambia]

MINISTER of Justice Sebastian Zulu has disclosed that he is in the process of preparing a cabinet memorandum recommending the registration of the London High Court judgment against former President Chiluba’s co-accused persons.

Mr Zulu said in an interview yesterday that he will table the matter before Cabinet for the possible registration of the judgment in the Zambian High Court, involving 19 persons who a London High Court found guilty of stealing over US$100 million public funds.Mr Zulu said Cabinet will make the final decision on the matter.

Get Involved Zambia executive director Father Frank Bwalya recently called on Government to consider registering the London High Court judgment. The case involves former Finance Minister Katele Kalumba, former Zambia Security Intelligence Services chief Xavier Chungu and former Finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda among others.

The accused were found guilty of stealing public funds from a Zambia Intelligence bank account dubbed Zamtrop. The judgment was delivered by Judge Peter Smith in 2007 in London’s Royal Courts but Government under then President Rupiah Banda failed to locally register the judgment for enforcement.

Mr Zulu said Government is determined to recover the monies alleged to have been stolen, adding that the US$100 million involved is “too colossal to be ignored and forgotten”.

“Government is in the process of making a decision because US$100 million is a lot of money. Government will not just forget this easily. We are going to pursue it and cabinet will decide. I am in the process of recommending that we pursue the matter…I will prepare and present a cabinet memo for cabinet to decide,” Mr Zulu said.

[pullquote]“There is no way we can just forget about all this money which was gotten from the [Zambian] people through the Zamtrop account. This matter has to be pursued,” Mr Zulu said.[/pullquote]

Mr Zulu said Government would in due course announce its decision on the matter after procedures are addressed. He said it is important and responsible for Government to pursue the matter because it involves public funds which should benefit Zambians.

“There is no way we can just forget about all this money which was gotten from the [Zambian] people through the Zamtrop account. This matter has to be pursued,” Mr Zulu said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]