Oil deals between Levy, bank are very suspicious, says Sata

Oil deals between Levy, bank are very suspicious, says Sata
By Tabitha Mvula
Saturday October 20, 2007 [04:00]

Patriotic Front president Michael Sata has said the oil deals between President Levy Mwanawasa and a named bank are very suspicious. Commenting on the disclosure by President Mwanawasa that he was involved in resolving the fuel crisis that rocked the country in recent weeks, Sata said Zambians had not forgotten issues to do with the procurement of oil over the years.

"The issue on the deals between Dr Levy and a named bank over the supply of oil to Zambia is very suspicious.

I would like to urge President Mwanawasa to resign or he should be impeached so that investigations are carried out properly and impartially, otherwise this issue will end up like the cases of suspended Drug Enforcement Commissioner Ryan Chitoba, Luapula Province minister Chrispin Musosha, and others," he said.

"He should resign like Richard Nixon did over the Watergate scandal."
Sata said Zambians had not forgotten how the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) had been overruled when Zambezi Oil

Transport (ZOT) wanted to establish a plant by the roadside in Ndola a few years ago.
"The Ndola City Council and the ECZ turned down the application by ZOT but they were overruled by Levy. Zambians have not forgotten," he said.

"If Dr Mwanawasa does not want to be humiliated, he must emulate Richard Nixon when he resigned after the Watergate scandal. Dr Levy started breeding corruption in the oil industry when he overruled the Environmental Council of Zambia when Zambia Oil Transport wanted to establish a depot on the roadside but now Levy is very close to ZOT."

He said the oil deal between President Mwanawasa and a named bank was a scandal and that there was need for the government to tell the nation the truth on its dealings with named businessmen.

"He should be the one to resign instead of moving Dr Buleti Nsemukila (former Ministry of Energy permanent secretary) who obeyed the law that he wanted competitive tender both for syndication of the money and supply of the oil," he said.
Sata said if President Mwanawasa did not resign, the PF would wait for 2011 to deal with him.

"We know to impeach him will be difficult with the current Parliament but we'll wait a few more years. We'll establish a truth commission which will include lawyers, managers and civil servants," Sata said.

"When we receive an actionable report from the commission, that's when we'll present to Parliament to have his immunity removed so that he can answer charges that will be levelled against him."

Sata also said President Mwanawasa had 'assaulted' democracy when he poached members from opposition political parties to the MMD.

"Levy has defrauded his own (MMD) constitution by picking Chimumbwa who hasn't been in the MMD for three years," Sata said.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, President Mwanawasa said there was no excuse he could give the nation over the fuel shortages.

"We had received an offer from a bank and it was prepared to finance the purchase of one ship of crude oil but the persons who were responsible declined to deal with that bank and they wanted the Tender Board of Zambia to advertise the tenders for people to import oil to Zambia," President Mwanawasa said.

"The result is that they never did anything about it until the last minute; after 14 days the last stock of oil was finished. When I asked Ministry of Energy PS what is happening, they said we cannot deal with this man because the tenders have not been advertised.

I told them this is not your money, which you are using, so I told them to get out of State House and get things done and asked them to accept the offer from this bank."