Government says fifty Zambian diplomats have been recalled from September 2011 to date.

Responding to a question by Mpongwe Member of Parliament Gabriel Namulambe who wanted to know how many Zambian Diplomats serving abroad have been recalled by the Government and how much money has been spent in repatriation fees and gratuities as a result, Acting foreign affairs minister Dr Joseph Kasonde revealed that K11.9 billion has been set aside for repatriation.

Dr Kasonde also revealed that no political cadres have been appointed into Foreign Service during the same period.

He says diplomatic appointments have been made on the basis of requisite qualifications and that those appointed are still undergoing appointment formalities.

The minister further explained that there is currently no government policy with regards to sending political cadres into Foreign Service.

[ZANIS]

The government has awarded a contract to Fratelli Locci contractors to tar the pedicle road at a cost of K313 Billion Kwacha.

Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Gabriel Kaunda disclosed the development in an interview with ZANIS in Mansa on Wednesday.

Mr. Kaunda says the contractor will soon move on site and start bush clearing to pave way for tarring of the 70 Kilometers stretch from Mukambo in Mufulira to the Mwanawasa Bridge in Mansa District.

He says the tarring of the pedicle road is expected to be completed in two years.

The pedicle road passes through the Democratic Republic of Congo linking the Copperbelt and Luapula Provinces.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary further disclosed that negotiations by the Zambian and Danish Governments are underway to resurface the Chembe- Kashikishi roads in Luapula Province.
[ZNBC]

The Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested former President of Zambia Cricket Union Andrew Shawa and former treasurer Ketankumar Nailk for various money laundering activities.

Shawa aged 64 and Naik 43, allegedly stole money amounting to over 270 million kwacha, property of Zambia Cricket Union.

Drug Enforcement Commission -dec Acting Public Relations Officer Samuel Silomba says between January, 2006 and December 2011, jointly and while acting together stole the money from the cricket union of Zambia.

Silomba told ZNBC news in a statement that Naik is also believed to have forged four receipts for Eeves Limited amounting to K72 million which he later fraudulently altered to Auditors purporting to show that the sum was paid for rentals.

He is further believed to have engaged in an act of false accounting by presenting petty cash vouchers purporting to show that the money on the vouchers was used as expenditure by Zambia Cricket Union when in fact not.

The duo has since been released on bond and will appear in court soon.
[ZNBC]

PRESIDENT Michael Sata is today expected to leave for Kampala, Uganda to attend the 4th International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) summit.

This is according to a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday by State House Deputy Press Secretary Amos Chanda.

Mr Chanda said the ICGLR summit would take place from December 15 to 16, 2011 after which President Sata would return home.

He said President Sata would handover Zambia’s chairmanship of the group to President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

“The President will be accompanied by First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba who will deliver a keynote address at the First Ladies meeting on the sidelines of the summit,” Mr Chanda said.

President Sata’s advance party includes Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba, his Foreign Affairs counterpart Chishimba Kambwili, Deputy Minister in-Charge of Gender Emerine Kabanshi and other senior officials.

Meanwhile, Mr Sata has recognised James Ng’andu as Senior Chief Nkula of the Bemba people of Chinsali in Muchinga Province.

The recognition follows Mr Ng’andu’s selection to ascend to the Nkula throne in line with the Bemba tradition and custom.

Mr Chanda said the president signed the recognition order yesterday under the authority of the Chiefs Act, Chapter 287 of the Laws of Zambia.

[Times of Zambia]

THE six months duration for the Constitution Technical Committee to come up with a draft constitution is within people’s expectation, opposition United Party for National Development (UPND)president Hakainde Hichilema has said.

Mr Hichilema said it was not necessary to drag the process when previous documents were readily available from where the 20-member Technical Committee could get vital information.

Speaking on Radio Phoenix’s ‘Let the people talk’ programme in Lusaka yesterday, the opposition leaders however said lack of a budget for the constitution making process was a source of concern.

“We expect the budget line to come through a supplementary budget because the Government has an obligation to tell the nation how much will be spent on this process,” Mr Hichilema said.

He said the constitution making process was an important national activity that required the cooperation of all sectors of society if a credible national document was to be delivered.

On Zamtel, Mr Hichilema said if not properly handled, the talk of the reversal of sale of the telecommunication firm could cost the country huge sums of money and had the potential to cause embarrassment to the nation.

Mr Hichilema said it was important that due care was taken in the manner the matter was being handled so that mistakes were not made.

“The sale of Zamtel did raise a lot of concerns at the time the transaction was taking place as was the case with Finance Bank but what is important is that care should be taken to ensure that money is not lost and the country is not embarrassed,” Mr Hichilema said.

He said the fight against corruption was important but that it should not be selective or vindictive.

He cautioned law enforcement agencies to be conducting their investigations thoroughly before issuing any statements.

Mr Hichilema said there should be respect in the manner people suspected to have committed offences were being treated.

He said such people should be presumed innocent until determination by the courts.

[Times of Zambia]

POLICE have opened a docket against former Health deputy minister Solomon Musonda who is alleged to have caused the death of a man in a road accident as he was driving in Serenje in September this year.

Central Province deputy police chief Nelson Phiri said officers would soon exhume the body of the deceased who was buried without a post mortem being carried out.

The police would now have to summon the former deputy minister for questioning.

The police ordered that the body be exhumed so that investigations could be thorough.

Recently, Dr Musonda said he had paid money to the relatives of the deceased for funeral and burial arrangements out of compassion.

He said the payment was not in any way meant to avoid prosecution and that it was not compensation.

The former deputy minister said police facilitated the payment of money to the deceased man’s family and subsequent burial of the body without conducting a postmortem and wondered why the police “could t urn around.”

But Mr Phiri said investigations had advanced and that statements had been recorded from a Serenje based police officer and a court messenger who is alleged to have handled the burial consent.

A burial consent, which is alleged to have been forged, had been sent to Lusaka to the handwriting experts for examination.

[Times of Zambia]