Inspector General of police Martin Malama says investigations into the 2.1 billion kwacha cash found at former Labour Minister Austin Liato’s farm are continuing.

Dr Malama said that police are still pursuing the matter and the nation will be informed once investigation are concluded.

However, he could not state whether Mr Liato has been summoned in connection with the same case.

Dr Malama said that police are still pursuing other cases and investigations should not be seen to be political.

He warned that police will investigate wherever a crime has been committed and will move in to correct the situation.

[pullquote]“According to the BOZ Act, money is supposed to be in circulation. The way this money had been stored gives a basis to investigate why it was kept in such a manner,” Ms Kanjela said.[/pullquote]

On Friday early morning, combined team of police, DEC and ACC officers dug out the money in question from a hole at the former minister’s house in Mwembeshi. The money is now in State custody at the former task force offices.

The money was in bundles of K50,000 and K20,000 notes with Zanaco and Bank of Zambia (BOZ) stickers on them. The stickers had dates of March 10 and 15, 2011 on them.
Officers from the Drug Enforcement Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zambia Police arrived at plot No. 44 Mpamba settlement at 16:00 hours on Thursday to conduct their operation.

According to a police spokesperson Ms Kanjela, acting on a tip-off from members of the public, a joint team of officers with a search warrant broke into an incomplete house which had an elaborate security system with an alarm. The officers dug through two thick layers of concrete with conforce wire. Underneath, they found two trunks which also contained a safe each with money in them.

The officers discovered the two trunks two hours after they arrived at the house and left the house yesterday morning at about 03:00 hours. She said using picks, an axe and shovels which the officers had carried with them, they dug through two floors of concrete reinforced with conforce wire before they found the treasure trove.

Ms Kanjela said police will summon Mr Liato to ascertain whether the money is his and why he was keeping such huge amounts of money underground at his home. She said Mr Liato was not at home at the time and when called on his mobile phone, he told officers he was on his way from Kaoma.

“According to the BOZ Act, money is supposed to be in circulation. The way this money had been stored gives a basis to investigate why it was kept in such a manner,” Ms Kanjela said.

She said the officers also discovered a brand new Mercedes Benz car and a Toyota Prado which were also locked in a garage which also has an elaborate security system.  Ms Kanjela, however, said the two vehicles were not seized.

ZNBC

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”
(1 Chronicles 16:34, AMP)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

No matter what is going on in life, you can find a reason to thank God. What you dwell on is what you will draw into your life. You can either focus on your problems, or you can focus on your blessings. The question is: do you want more problems, or do you want more blessings?

One thing I’ve noticed is that when you live with an attitude of constant gratitude, not only do you thank God for what He’s done in your life, you start thanking Him for what He will do in your life. You thank Him for opening doors for you. You thank Him for increasing you. You thank Him for bringing the right people into your life. When you say “thank you” to God for the things that are coming, it’s really a declaration of your faith in Him. You are saying in essence, “God, I’m so sure of Your goodness, I’m so sure that You’re working in my life that I’m going to thank You right now for what You are going to do tomorrow!”

Friend, that’s the kind of faith that pleases God. When we trust in His goodness and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, that pleases His heart so much. So today, have an attitude of gratitude. Let your faith say thank you. Praise Him throughout the day with a humble heart and watch what He will do on your behalf!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for another day to praise You. Thank You for all You have done in my life. Help me see Your hand of blessing as I continually acknowledge and praise Your name in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Foreign Affairs Minister Chishimba Kambwili has said that government will not be selective in dealing with criminal cases involving foreigners working in Zambia.

Mr. Kambwili said that government will not use any diplomatic channels in investigating any criminal activities suspected to have been committed by foreigners.

The Minister was reacting to developments in which Police in Luanshya are holding four Chinese nationals in connection with an indecent assault case involving 9 girls between the ages of 12 and 15.

Mr. Kambwili who is also Roan Member of Parliament told ZNBC News today that he is disturbed with the developments and has urged the police to investigate the matter.

He said that the law should take its course regardless of whoever has committed the crime.

Police in Luanshya arrested four Chinese nationals in connection with an indecent assault case involving 9 girls between the ages of 12 and 15.

A ZNBC news crew found the four Chinese nationals in police custody at Roan station while the girls were also there giving statements to police on today.

Copperbelt deputy police commanding officer MILNER MUYAMBAGO says the matter is still being investigated before the four can be charged.

But some of the girls interviewed revealed how they have been exchanging sexual favours for cash with the Chinese.

The girls says they are given 90 thousand kwacha for a session of sexual intercourse and 30 thousand kwacha for being fondled.

[ZNBC]

George Kunda and Company Law Firm has disputed revelations that it benefited 190 million Kwacha out of the sale of ZAMTEL.

The firm says the revelation is shocking.

George Kunda and Company Partner Ireene Kunda says the firm only received 100 million Kwacha from Zambia Development Agency -ZDA in 2010, as legal fees with regards to the sale of Savoy Hotel.

Mrs Kunda who is also wife of former Vice President George Kunda says the matter was out-standing since 1997.

She alleged that ZAMTEL Technical Committee Chairperson Dimple Ranchhod released unverified information.

Mrs Kunda also lamented that the Technical Committee did not invite her legal firm to exculpate it self.

This is contained in a statement released to ZNBC news in Lusaka on Friday.

[ZNBC]

THE Government may consider reconstituting the technical committee of experts appointed to draft a new Constitution to include stakeholders not represented such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ),Vice-President Guy Scott has said.

Dr Scott told Parliament that the Patriotic Front Government (PF) was listening to the calls of the people on the composition of the committee of experts to draft the Constitution.The vice-president said this in response to a question by Mpika Member of Parliament (MP) Mwansa Kapeya (PF) who wanted the Government to shed light on the views being expressed by Zambians on the composition of the committee.

This was during the vice-president’s 30-minute question time in the House.“Stakeholders who are not represented such as the EFZ may beconsidered,” Dr Scott said.

The EFZ has since written to Justice Minister Sebastian Zulu nominating their representative to the committee of experts. Kalomo MP Request Muntanga (UPND) asked for an assurance that the people left out of the committee of experts to draft the Constitution would not boycott the exercise, to which Dr Scott said he could not guarantee so.

The vice-president said, however, that those that would boycott would have to be blamed for their actions.Nalikwanda MP Geoffrey Lungwangwa (MMD) asked Dr Scott to tell the House which contractor had been engaged to renovate State House, to which the vice-president said a comprehensive statement would be issued over the matter by the minister of Works.

And Liuwa MP Situmbeko Musokotwane and his Lunte counterpart Felix Mutati (MMD) lauded the 2012 National Budget and commended the PF Government for acknowledging the firm macro-economic foundation laid by the MMD regime.Contributing to the estimates of expenditure for 2012, Dr Musokotwane congratulated the PF Government for increasing the mineral royalty tax to six per cent from three per cent as well as increasing allocations to the education, health and agriculture sectors in the 2012 Budget.

“It is not debatable that in the last decade, the economy has grown while jobs have been created. More food has been produced. In the 2012 Budget, I notice that the Minister of Finance and National Planning Alexander Chikwanda will spend more compared to 2011.“

”In the education sector, the minister proposes to spend K900 billionmore, another K900 billion more will be spent in the health sector while K400 billion more will be spent in the agriculture sector while bulk other amounts will go towards infrastructure, which is commendable,” Dr Musokotwane said.He said the MMD government could have done the same by increasing expenditures in the agriculture, education, health and infrastructure sectors.Mr Mutati on the other hand hailed the PF Government for increasing the mineral royalty tax to six per cent.He said the PF Government should build on the economic growth left by the MMD government to find more money to spend on the social sector.“The tax relief of K2 million is a welcome move as it will benefit all taxpayers.

The royalty tax increase is also good,” Mr Mutati, also leader of the opposition in the House, said in his debate to Parliament on the 2012 Budget.He said the MMD government did re-energise the national economy to the best of its knowledge and what the PF should do was to build on the weaknesses for the good of Zambia.?Mines Minister Wylbur Simuusa in his debate told the House that the PF Government did not promise to reintroduce the windfall tax as it was being alleged but it promised to harmonise the tax regime in the mining industry so that Zambians could reap more benefits from their national resources.

Mr Simuusa said the Government was already addressing the taxing system andt the increase of the royalty tax to six per cent from three was a step in that direction.He said the PF, then in opposition, and their counterparts advocated for the re-introduction of the windfall tax owing to the high consistent price of copper at the international market.

“At that time Mr Speaker, copper prices were pegged at U$10,000 for a long period of time and that was why we advocated for the re-introduction of the windfall tax, the then MMD government should have been responsive to the then prevailing situation,” Mr Simuusa said.

He said even the Chamber of Mines of Zambia had stated that it was not against the reintroduction of the windfall tax but the way the MMD government implemented it.Minister of Lands, Energy and Water Minister Chris Yaluma told the House that the PF Government would continue to accelerate investments in the expansion of power generating projects.

His counterpart at Local Government Nkandu Luo said it was saddening that the so-called economic growth achieved in the last two decades did not translate into uplifting of the welfare of ordinary Zambians.Professor Luo hailed the K2 million free tax initiative of the PF Government, stressing that it would benefit especially the poor people of Zambia and not those well-off. The two ministers were contributing to the debate on the 2012 national budget.

President Michael Sata, has applauded the combined team of Zambia Police Service, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for conducting a successful operation that resulted in a seizure of K2.1 billion cash at Mr Austin Liato’s Mumbwa farm.

The President said he has learnt with great shock, the discovery of such huge sums of money concealed in a strange and most unusual manner at the former labour minister’s farm.

“No doubt, the Mafia-style under which this money was hidden raises serious questions about how the same was acquired. It breaks my heart to see how someone could go to such extremes to conceal money if it was legitimately acquired,” the President said.

“This only goes to show the Zambian people the extent to which the mandate they gave those they entrusted with authority to preside over affairs of state was abused.”

The President said unearthing a total sum of K2.1 billion buried in two steel trunks under a thick layer of concrete slab in a highly fortified and electronically fitted structure, sends a wrong signal about the image of the country because this is not exemplary behaviour from political leaders.

President Sata said this is just one of the many operations the combined team of investigators were carrying out regarding suspected criminal activity that took place under the previous regime.

“Of late, some suspects have been unreasonably grumbling by issuing pre-emptive statements to try and threaten a duly elected government against carrying out its legitimate mandate. This discovery is a serious indictment on all those elements that may be facing possible charges of corruption and other forms of wrong-doing including those who have seen it opportune and convenient to betray the Zambian people by siding with such people,” the President said.

“Let me make it abundantly clear that this is just the beginning and our colleagues should not panic or resort to desperate measures of seeking false public sympathy by mischaracterising legitimate investigations as persecution. This is not a witch-hunt, we are moving systematically by taking into consideration all leads and clues into what happened in the past. After all the Zambian people are the complainants and they deserve nothing but the truth.”

He urged the investigating wings to ensure that they follow the due process of the law and take to court only those cases they are satisfied with.

PRESIDENT Michael Sata says he avoids taking international trips because he does not want to waste the country’s meagre resources which can be channeled towards poverty alleviation for the benefit of the majority poor Zambians.

Mr Sata has said that he did not want to undertake costly trips abroad because he wanted to minimise on expenditure so that money could be channeled to helping ‘defeat’ poverty for which the Zambian people elected him into office.

Addressing a mammoth public rally at Chongwe grounds to drum up support for the PF candidate for the Chongwe parliamentary by-election scheduled for Monday, President Sata said he was an accountable leader who had rejected a number of recent foreign trips, including one to Australia and another to Malawi.

The president said he could have spent a lot of money already had he been traveling indiscriminately because all his trips required a horde of security and other personnel accompanying him, all of whom were entitled to allowances.

He said such expenses would be enough to build a hospital for the people of Zambia.

President Sata said his first trip outside State House was only on Wednesday this week when he travelled to Magoye in the Southern Province.

Mr Sata said he could not back-track on his position on expensive foreign trips, especially that he condemned and referred to his predecessor, Rupiah Banda, as a mobile president because of the numerous trips he undertook.

And Mr Sata has said that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema should not be trusted with the presidency because he allegedly failed to account for money from the privatisation process.

Mr Sata said when he was minister under the Chiluba administration, then Finance minister Ronald Penza invited Mr Hichilema to manage the privatisation of Luanshya Copper Mines, Kagem Mine and Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone but that the UPND leader allegedly chose to become chairperson of the same hotel he had privatised.

The president said the Government had allegedly not seen money raised from the privatisation of the facilities to which Mr Hichilema was associated and warned that he would abuse power should Zambians make him president.

He said Mr Hichilema lacked experience as a politician, especially that he had never served at lower ranks but merely jumped the ladder to lead the UPND after the death of founder president Anderson Mazoka.The Chongwe parliamentary by-election resulted from the resignation of Japhen Mwakalombe as an MMD MP.

Mr Sata said he had decided to give Mr Mwakalombe a job as high commissioner because the former MP was a credible man who did not want to benefit from a corrupt victory.

Mr Mwakalombe won the Chongwe seat in the September 20 elections.Other candidates contesting the Chongwe seat are Adrian Bauleni of the UPND, the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) has DavidChulu while UNIP will be represented by Jahannes Mativenga.

The president said Mr Bauleni was appointed Zambian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo where he was allegedly rejected by the government of that country and later resigned to join UPND.

The president urged the people of Chongwe to equally reject Mr Bauleni to avoid poverty and underdevelopment.

Mr Sata also said his critics had been proved wrong after having had campaigned that his presidency would deliver Zambia into war.

[Times of Zambia]

Editors note:Our sincere apologies for the errors in the article and the inconvenience caused