Maravi

'It's irresponsible of Chiluba to shy away from the Task Force'

'It's irresponsible of Chiluba to shy away from the Task Force'
By Mutuna Chanda
Sunday May 04, 2008 [04:00]

IT is irresponsible for former president Frederick Chiluba to shy away from cooperating with the Task Force over the Carlington maize deal, Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka has said. And Lifuka has advised the Task Force to handle the Carlington maize deal investigations professionally. In an interview yesterday, Lifuka said it was in Chiluba's interests to give all the information he knew over the Carlington affair.

"It is important that any person who has information over the Carlington maize deal cooperates with the Task Force," Lifuka said. "As former head of state, he has an obligation to give information o

He said the whole nation was interested in knowing what really happened in the Carlington saga.

"It's not only in former president Chiluba's interests that we know what happened. It is in the interest of the nation because the Carlington maize deal is a case that has been on for a long time," Lifuka said. "All people are saying is that we need to get to the bottom of this matter."

Lifuka further said Chiluba misunderstood the Law Association of Zambia's advice over the Carlington maize deal.

"What the Law Association of Zambia LAZ as a society of lawyers was saying is 'this gives you an opportunity to clear your name' and we would like to support the Law Association and we are saying that Chiluba has an opportunity to clear his name," Lifuka said.

"Former president Chiluba should stop being overly sensitive to what people are saying over the Carlington maize deal. So I think he took out of context what LAZ advised him."

And Lifuka said the Task Force should not politicise the Carlington maize deal.
"There are lessons to be learnt by both former president Chiluba and the Task Force over this matter.

The former president should cooperate and the Task Force should leave the politics of the matter to the politicians," observed Lifuka. "Some of the statements that the Task Force has made over this matter tend to sensationalise the Carlington deal. They should handle it in a way that they would deal with any other matter not in a manner that is seen to be that it is because it involves former president Chiluba."

Recently, when summoned to appear before the Task Force over the Carlington maize deal, Chiluba was reported to have evaded questions.

LAZ president Elijah Banda advised Chiluba to use the Carlington maize deal investigations to prove his innocence instead of being uncooperative.
But Chiluba urged Banda not to use the noble platform of LAZ to prop up the image of the Task Force.

He said it had become public knowledge that the Task Force was surviving on an expired mandate and that their support from all parties, including cooperating partners had diminished.

Chiluba said in its quest to maintain its relevance to revive its role and extend its mandate, the Task Force was now trying to whip up public emotion with sensational and high sounding cases such as the Carlington maize deal.

The Task Force on Corruption is investigating the case of Canadian commodity supplier, Carlington Sales Company, following an agreement with the Republic of Zambia in 1997/98 for the supply of maize to Zambia in the extent of US $24 million.

The government transferred in extent of US $7.8 million towards this contract. However, the maize contract was never honoured by Carlington Sales, as not a single bag of maize was ever delivered to Zambia. A loss of over US $7.8 million of public funds remains incurred.

Labels: CHILUBA, TASK FORCE, TIZ

posted by MrK @ 5:20 AM