President Rupiah Banda has received an interim report on the alleged financial scam at the Ministry of Health where billions of funds are alleged to have been misapplied by civil servants.

President Banda says the interim report shows that the amounts involved in the scam could be higher than what was initially reported going by the number of people and companies implicated in the scam.

He however, said he will wait for the final report from the Auditor-General who is currently conducting a forensic audit at the Ministry of Health.

This is contained in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka this evening and signed by special assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Dickson Jere

Mr Banda noted that it is clear that the corruption and theft of public funds at the Ministry of Health started a long time ago going by the interim findings by the Office of Auditor- General although the last part of the payment were made in 2008.

The report showed that most of the alleged funds were stolen in recent years up to December 2008 through various payments to a number of identified companies which were paid for goods and services which where never delivered.

It reads that some payments seemed to have been made during the illness and the consequent death of the late President Levy Mwanawasa.

And the President has since submitted that all civil servants or their agents mentioned in the scam and who are currently under investigation should not be allowed to enter the Ministry’s premises until further notice.

He explained that the decision is aimed at protecting and securing evidence as wells as to prevent any interference with the on going investigations, adding that law enforcement agencies should arrest and charge all the people involved where sufficient evidence has been established.

Meanwhile, President Banda has directed Finance and National Planning Minster Situmbeko Musokotwane and Secretary to the Treasury Likolo Ndalamei to immediately provide additional funds to the Office of the Auditor- General and the Anti Corruption Commission to help them expedite the investigations in the scam.

He said the Office of Auditor- General which has been carrying out audits in the scam should take a lead in the going investigations and submit their relevant evidence to the law enforcement agencies for possible prosecution.

And the President his morning held closed-door meeting with various aid donors and cooperative partners where he briefed them on the findings of the ongoing investigations and the decisions which he has taken so far.

President Banda also urged the donor community to take keen interest in the ongoing investigations and asked those willing to provide technical assistance to the Office of the Auditor-General in order to speed up the investigation process.

He further reiterated his position on the need to enhance the fight against corruption and theft of public funds, and he also assured the nation that all those involved in the theft of public funds will be brought to book.

ZANIS

Supreme Court Judge Dennis Chirwa has set June 12th as Judgement day for Former Transport and Communication Minister Dora Siliya’s judicial review.

This will be two weeks after Ms. Siliya’s and the petitioners’ counsel teams file their submission.

High Court Judge Phillip Musonda has set May 29th as the dead-line for filing the submission.

Judge Chirwa ruled that judgement in the matter will be delivered two weeks after May 29th.

Earlier Ms. Siliya’s lawyer Eric Silwamba told the court that his team was Tuesday ready to file submissions to expeditiously dispose off the matter in the interest of justice.

Meanwhile Lusaka Lawyer Winter Kabimba is Tuesday expected to apply to join the proceedings in Ms. Siliya’s judicial review.

Mr. Kabimba was representing petitioners during the tribunal’s hearing on abuse of authority of office allegations against Ms. Siliya.

Ms. Siliya applied for judicial review into the findings of the Judge Dennis Chirwa Tribunal, almost two week ago.

Her lawyer Mr. Silwamba filed the application for judicial review in the Lusaka High Court.

Mr. Silwamba argued that the decision of the tribunal that his client breached the provisions of the constitution was in excess of its jurisdiction as stipulated by the provisions of the parliamentary and ministerial code of conduct.

The Judge Dennis Chirwa tribunal cleared Ms. Siliya on three allegations that she did not Breach part II of the Parliamentary and Ministerial code of conduct Act.

The tribunal however found that the former minister breached the provisions of the constitution and ignored the Attorney General’s advice.
ZNBC

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CFPD) has described as illegal the decision by the Patriotic Front (PF) party leadership to appoint an acting Member of Parliament (MP) for Matero Constituency when the incumbent was still holding on to the some position.

Centre Executive Director Neo Simutanyi says it is not constitutionally right for a political party to appoint an acting MP for a constituency when a vacancy had not been created.

In an interview in Lusaka today, Dr. Simutanyi explained that legal provisions only support such a move when there is a vacancy which demands for a person to take care of the affairs in the constituency.

Dr, Simutanyi advised that there is need for the opposition PF to follow laid down procedures.

He noted that what PF would have done is to wait for parliament to make a final decision of declaring the seat vacant or the court’s ruling on the matter.

He noted that by using these channels PF and the electorates will have the right to vote for the person they feel should continue to represent them.

He charged that the current move taken by the PF is likely to confuse people in Matero constituency as they will not know who their right representative is.

Last week PF leader Michael Sata appointed Chimwemwe constituency MP Willie Nsanda as acting MP for Matero and will be assisted by Chazanga MP Jean Kapata and Munali’s Mumbi Phiri.

Meanwhile, Dr. Simutanyi has expressed concern at Movement Multi Party Democracy, MMD’s, announcement to adopt President Rupiah Banda as its preferred candidate for 2011 presidential elections.

Dr. Simutanyi, who is also a political analyst, said it is too early for the ruling party to adopt President Banda, adding that this would divert his attention from working to develop the country to partisan politics.

He pointed out that early announcement of presidential candidates for 2011, especially from the ruling party, is also likely to cause political tension by attracting criticism from opposition parties.

He added that it was important for the MMD to consider following the right process of choosing a preferred candidate to stand on its ticket.

He further disclosed that this would have an undue influence on those that had intentions of standing on the same position hence causing political differences within the party.

ZANIS

THE Movement for Multiparty Democracy [MMD]youths In Namwala District have supported the idea of having President Rupiah Banda as the party’s aspiring presidential candidate during the 2001 tripartite elections.

The MMD youths in Namwala also called for unity among party members for the party to fair well in 2001 elections.

Speaking in an interview today, Constituency youth Chairperson Mr Godwin Mulachi said President Banda has scored a number of successes during his short tenure in office and there was need for the country to support him during the 2011 elections.

“ As MMD youths in Namwala we want to voice our support for Mr BANDA to contest the general elections in 2011 so that he could finish the developmental projects he has already embarked on,” said Mr Mulachi.[quote]

Mr. Mulachi said people who are passing unpalatable remarks about the president need to be punished by the law. He said people should give the president the necessary support especially during this period of the financial crisis so that the country could steer ahead in economic development.

Mr. Mulachi said there was need for the party in the District to unite if desirable results could be achieved in 2011.

He noted that currently there were some squabbles among party members which urgently needed to be ironed out.

“Am in the view that if we have to do well during the 2011 elections in the District we need to put our differences aside and work for the common good of our party,” Mr Mulachi said.

He also said there was need to have an MMD representative from each of the four chiefdoms sitting on the constituency committee unlike the current situation where there were no representatives from the four chiefdoms.

ZANIS

Former Republican Vice President, Enoch Kavindele has called on Zambian politicians to desist from undermining each other at the expense of national development.

Mr. Kavindele says politicians should put aside their partisan interests and work together in unity to foster national development.

He said Zambia cannot afford unnecessary political confrontations at the expense of national development.

Mr. Kavindele has also said that there is need to quickly introduce a common African currency as a step towards achieving Africa’s economic intergration.

He said there is also need to put in place a common passport to ease the movement of people within the continent.

[ZNBC]

Vice President, George Kunda says there was nothing irregular in the procurement of 100 hearses as the transaction for the procurement of the hearses started in the previous government.

Mr. Kunda says there is no need for the people to start attacking and condemning the current government following the procurement of 100 hearses, as the current administration is just completing the transactions that were initiated in the previous one.

The Vice President was speaking yesterday in Serenje district during the official hand-over ceremony of a speed boat to the community of Lusiwasi in Nalube village.

Mr. Kunda said that government procured 100 hearses at the request of the Local Government and Housing Ministry in the previous government following the popular demand from councils.

He further said that there is no need for the people to attack and condemn the current government, but that there is need for the nation to commend government with the way it is fulfilling its campaign promises which were based on continuity.

Mr. Kunda said the current government was just fulfilling its mandate of ensuring that there was continuation in the implementation of development programmes which the late President Levy Mwanawasa initiated.

Meanwhile, Mr Kunda has called on the farming fraternity to diversify into fish farming with a view to enhancing the growth of the fishing industry in the country.

Mr. Kunda says diversifying into fish farming will greatly contribute to the social and economic well-being of the country by boosting employment creation as well as ensuring that the living-standards of people is uplifted in societies.

Mr. Kunda, who is also Muchinga Member of Parliament, said the move taken by government to venture into fish farming was in line with the government’s vision to increase agriculture productivity particularly in the fishing industry with a view to ensuring food security through the promotion of fish farming.

The Vice President has since cautioned the Zambian people against using illegal fishing methods with a view to ensuring that there is preservation in the country’s fishing industry.

ZANIS