Katumbi will dent Levy's crusade, says Hansungule
Katumbi will dent Levy's crusade, says HansunguleBy Brighton Phiri
Tuesday December 11, 2007 [03:00]
THE Katumbi case will dent President Mwanawasa’s crusade against corruption, Professor Michelo Hansungule has said. And Women for Change (WfC) executive director Emily Sikazwe said government had no mandate to cut deals with suspected plunderers without the approval of the people.
Commenting on government’s announcement that it had discontinued and closed all the criminal and civil actions against Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Katanga Province governor Moses Katumbi, Prof Hansungule said the Katumbi case was a very bad precedent for President Mwanawasa’s crusade against corruption.
“Thus far, the administration has done very well on this score. There is no other government in Africa that has dragged its former head of state to court on allegations of corruption as Zambia has. But the Katumbi case is bound to dent this record,” Prof Hansungule said.
He said the sudden grant of liberties by government to Katumbi was shocking because the case had been making headlines for several months, if not years.
“Isn’t this what cost Vernon Mwaanga his job?” Prof Hansungule asked.
He said it was amazing for a government that had a duty to govern based on the principle of good governance inscribed in the Constitution, to inform its citizens that criminal actions that had been intended against Katumbi had been discontinued.
“It is important that government is transparent in the way it handles matters already in the public domain. It cannot suddenly be treated in this way.
Government has a duty to give out all information and not just what it feels it must give out to the public,” he said.
“Precisely for the sake of peace and security that government itself has invoked as the reason to settle the matter amicably is the reason for taking the Zambian people in their full confidence.
Being mean in sharing critical information on an important matter like this may be read by some to mean government is hiding something which in fact may not be the case.”
Prof Hansungule said it was easy to understand settlement of civil matters outside court but not of criminal matters.
“Isn’t this going to compromise justice? How does this happen given that others in similar circumstances have rightly been left to be sorted out by the long-arm of the law?” he asked.
“And this concept, ‘in the interest of peace and security’, how has it been found suitable to apply in this and not similar cases? There are many unanswered questions government has an obligation to clarify and shed light on.”
Sikazwe asked government to explain how Katumbi had been cleared of all the charges quietly when they went public to accuse him of being one of the plunderers of the country’s resources during the Chiluba regime.
“Government must tell us what is it that that has changed for Katumbi, whom they told us that he is one of the plunderers of our resources,” Sikazwe said. “It is disappointing that government is going ahead with impunity cutting deals with persons suspected of plundering our resources.
Katumbi’s case was part of the catalogue of corruption cases under the Chiluba regime which was presented before parliament. Did government seek the approval of the people’s representatives to discontinue Katumbi’s case? We demand for transparency on this matter.”
Government last week stated that Katumbi was at liberty to return to Zambia and engage in lawful business he might consider appropriate after the two parties agreed to discontinue and close all criminal and civil actions against the Katanga governor.
According to a joint statement on resolution of matters between the Zambian government and Katumbi, through his legal representatives William Nyirenda and Company issued in Lusaka, all outstanding matters between the parties had been resolved to the satisfaction of both.
Government stated that the settlement of the matters between it and Katumbi was intended to secure the maintenance of peace and security between Zambia and the DRC.
Labels: CORRUPTION, EMILY SIKAZWE, KATUMBI, WFC
posted by MrK @ 6:13 AM
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