Maravi

Sata questions govt over stolen money

Sata questions govt over stolen money
By George Chellah
Tuesday February 13, 2007 [02:00]

OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said it was illegal and unfair for President Levy Mwanawasa to publish a list of alleged corrupt public service workers without following the due process of the law. And Sata wondered why the government had allocated K1 billion for President Mwanawasa's retirement house when his two predecessors' houses were still incomplete. Sata said if President Mwanawasa went ahead to publish the names of suspected thieves in the public service, it would only confirm his disrespect for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

In a telephone interview from London yesterday, Sata who was commenting on President Mwanawasa's initial announcement that public service workers had stolen K3 trillion instead of K36 billion, described the situation as shameful. "How can the whole lot of a Republican President be quick to make such an announcement even before he checks his facts right? The Presidency is too dignified to make such implicating errors. Levy never ceases to amaze me. This is embarrassing where national governance is concerned. Levy is an alarmist because if he wasn't he could not have made that announcement," Sata said. "The fact that he has back-tracked over this issue is not only embarrassing the nation to the outside world, but also a clear confirmation that Levy governs Zambia by gossip. And you can't run a country like that. We certainly have problems with our current President and people should just admit that fact."

Sata demanded for the government to come out clearly over the matter. "Levy's relative Jonas Shakafuswa (finance deputy minister) was the first one to say that K100 billion has been stolen. The President later came in and said K3 trillion has been stolen, which he later changed to K36 billion," Sata said. "Can we then be told the actual truth and nothing but the truth? Who is correct here? Is it Shakafuswa or Levy? Or are they telling us that Shakafuswa's initial statement includes the President's K36 billion? Let them not confuse or alarm the nation by coming out clearly and realistic over this matter."

Sata said if President Mwanawasa went ahead to publish the names of suspected thieves in the public service, it would only confirm his disrespect for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies. "As if his K3 trillion outburst is not enough, he is yet again heading for another mistake by saying that he will first disclose the names of people that are suspected to have stolen public funds before they are taken to court. How can a lawyer do that? Levy must be serious with what he is doing. We are not against prosecuting those who misappropriate public funds but we are only concerned with the illegalities being committed by this President," Sata said. "If those people have stolen K36 billion like he is saying, can he allow the law enforcement agencies to investigate and when they have finished, the judiciary can take charge until the time when those cases will be disposed off. Can our lawyer President please follow the law instead of scandalising or portraying people to be guilty even before they see the inside of a court room? What will happen if he goes ahead and discloses the names and the courts rule otherwise?"

Sata advised President Mwanawasa to show respect to the nation's justice system. "Let him give the courts chance to do their job without interference. He should respect our courts, Levy must respect our magistrates and judges and treat them as professionals and not MMD cadres," Sata said. "Anyway, his present behaviour only exposes him that he was behind Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Nixon Banda's insult to the magistrates because what Banda said is not different from what Levy intends to do by disclosing the names of those people he is talking about. Where is fairness in that?" Sata said President Mwanawasa should just admit publicly that his fight against corruption had failed. "His fight against corruption has lost steam because of mismanagement and his interference. That's why he has resorted to such desperate schemes of behaving like a school headboy when there are competent systems in place," he said.

He said President Mwanawasa must learn from what was happening to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "Tony Blair was busy giving him British taxpayer's money to selectively fight corruption in Zambia. But what has happened to Blair today? He keeps on trekking to the Scotland Yard for interviews over corruption in his own backyard. And Levy's time will come someday," Sata said. "In fact, prosecuting Levy won't even be difficult the way he has failed with Chiluba. We know him and we all know how his wealth is increasing, what he has amassed and the like. And a lot of people are ready to volunteer information about that."

Sata wondered why the government had allocated K1 billion for President Mwanawasa's retirement house when his two predecessors’ houses have not been built yet. "The problem with Levy is that he is too selfish, he only thinks about himself. How can he allocate K1 billion towards the construction of his house even before he leaves office? Can he tell us something...is he planning to resign before his term finishes that's why he wants his house to ready soon?" Sata asked. "Levy is too selfish. It's 15 years now since Dr Kaunda left office and yet his house is not even at roof level, the same with Frederick Chiluba. So why should Levy begin allocating money to his house when he is less than a year old in his second term? Anyway, that's Levy for you. What do you expect from an ungrateful and selfish person?"

Finance minister Ng'andu Magande has allocated K1 billion to President Mwanawasa's retirement house, and K4 billion and K2 billion to Dr Kaunda and Chiluba's incomplete houses respectively.

posted by MrK @ 9:00 AM