VJ owes The Post an apology - Sata

VJ owes The Post an apology - Sata
By George Chellah
Sunday April 08, 2007 [04:00]

VERNON Mwaanga owes The Post an apology over his lies on his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said. And Sata has called on Parliament to deal with Mwaanga's lies after the whole truth is revealed over the matter. Commenting on Mwaanga's insistence that his statement in the DRC that the Zambian government owes Katanga Province governor Moses Katumbi US$7 million for the maize he supplied a few years ago were distorted, Sata said it was undisputable that the remarks attributed to Mwaanga were correct.

"The evidence from the DRC is so overwhelming so much that he won't hide from the truth. VJ won't escape or get away with the Katumbi saga. He wants to have it both ways but it's not possible," Sata said. "VJ can't continue cheating Zambians because he even used to lie to us in the days of Chiluba that Paul Steele (Katumbi's business associate) was his relative.

"Let him just apologise to the nation and The Post in particular for his lies or let him just keep quiet because once the whole truth is known, it will embarrass him and the President."
Sata cautioned Mwaanga that the truth over his DRC trip would emerge very shortly.

"Today VJ's lies have closed up on him. We know what was written by The Post and we are convinced that VJ fabricated the statement he delivered in Parliament. There is nothing for him to refute," Sata said.

"He wants to use Parliament as a cover up. He lied to Parliament and there are consequences for doing that. So we expect Parliament to deal with it after the truth is known.

"To lie in Parliament is not only embarrassing but also raises a lot of questions on an individual's credibility."

He said Mwaanga could not eat with both hands by attempting to cheat both President Mwanawasa and Katumbi.

"I am sure Levy knows that VJ is cheating and we expect him to act on these lies. VJ is back-tracking because it's very embarrassing to Levy and his administration," Sata said.

"He wants to save Levy's face because VJ can't bother about saving his face because as an individual VJ has no face to save...he simply has no shame."

Sata challenged Mwaanga to deny that he does not have a long-standing relationship with DRC businessman Katebe Katoto.
"When we were in Chiluba's government, every time Katebe Katoto visited Zambia he would visit VJ's house. If you want to see Katoto you have to speak to VJ," Sata said.

"These people are Mwaanga's friends so personally I was not surprised when I saw his statement from the DRC. Probably he said that because they threatened him that they would spill the beans."
He challenged Mwaanga to also deny that he has not met Katoto, Katumbi and Steele on several occasions.

Mwaanga has denied ever saying that the Zambian government owed Katanga Province governor Moses Katumbi US$7 million for the maize he supplied a few years ago.

Mwaanga yesterday urged Sata not to make political capital out of his mission to the DRC.

He insisted that he was not only misquoted but the matter was fabricated and warned Sata not to involve himself in issues he did not understand.

And Attorney General Mumba Malila said the Zambian government was not owing Katumbi any money.

He said there was not even a business transaction obtaining currently between the government and Katumbi.

Malila said his office would have known of any outstanding payments or business transaction if there were any such dealings.

He said his office was instead aware of three cases in the Kitwe High Court in which Katumbi was contesting the seizure of his property by the Task Force on corruption.