Maravi

Mabenga defends Rupiah's bribery

Mabenga defends Rupiah's bribery
By Nyambe Muyumbana in Mongu
Tuesday October 07, 2008 [04:00]

MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga has said Vice-President Rupiah Banda did not bribe Claudius Sakala with K20,000 at the time he was UNIP's parliamentary candidate for Munali Constituency in 1991. In an interview last Thursday, Mabenga said the story that was published in the Times of Zambia of October 23, 1991 was libelous.

Mabenga said Vice-President Banda did not bribe Sakala, the then MMD chairman for Mtendere, as revealed by the Times of Zambia. He explained that Sakala had requested for that money because he had a funeral and needed assistance.

"First and foremost, that is actually full of libel. That is libelous. That was in 1991, that story as I read it... Now what I know, in fact, is that he was not bribing anyone. This person Sakala came because they had a funeral, him Rupiah having been a MP for Munali.

Now this person comes and he says 'I am MMD unfortunately my own party cannot help me to get some money to be able to carry out the funeral of my child'. And so this man Rupiah takes money and gives," Mabenga said.

He said Sakala then decided to show appreciation for the gesture by resigning from the MMD to join UNIP. Mabenga said the act did not amount to bribery but goodwill on the part of Vice-President Banda who was then member of parliament for Munali.

Mabenga said during elections, many things happen and that one could not rule out the fact that Sakala's behaviour could have been sponsored by Vice-President Banda's opponents at the time.

According to the lead story of the Times of Zambia published on Wednesday, October 23, 1991, Vice President Banda who was at the time UNIP's parliamentary candidate, bribed Sakala with K20,000 so that he could defect from MMD to join UNIP.

The Times reported that a campaign ploy by Rupiah Banda ended scandalously when the man he was to parade to the press as a defector from MMD suddenly claimed he had been bribed by Banda with K20,000.

The Times reported that MMD chairman for Mtendere Claudius Sakala jolted the unsuspecting Banda when he made a turn-about at a press conference called by the aspirant to announce his resignation from MMD to join UNIP.

The supposed defector changed his mind at the last minute and confessed to journalists that Banda had given him K20,000 cash as they drove to Hotel Intercontinental where the conference took place.

Police confirmed that money had been surrendered to them and investigations had been launched.

Banda had brought 15 other MMD members, whom he apparently expected to cross over to UNIP. They all reversed their decisions. Banda handed back the MMD party cards to Sakala and his wife.

Banda began his press conference by alleging that his rival Ronald Penza's camp was in disarray "as the defection of Mr Sakala would show." He called Sakala to address the press conference to justify his decision to join UNIP.

In the middle of what sounded like pro-UNIP stance, Sakala attacked police for failing to control UNIP vigilantes whom he later said were the perpetrators of the violence in Mtendere "last weekend".

Meanwhile, Mabenga said it was unfair to judge Vice-President Banda based on the proposed salary increments of senior government officials and constitutional office bearers, as they were not his creation.

"...This was not a creation of His Excellency Rupiah Banda at all. In any case, there is collective responsibility there. First and foremost, I can tell you that the people who were in the forefront to want to have revision of salaries are actually UPND.

UPND were in the forefront and I can tell you two or three MPs that are in the committee that deals with conditions of service of constitutional holders. Those are the people who came up with those recommendations," Mabenga said.

Mabenga also said it was malicious and a fabrication to say that Vice-President Banda had at any time tried to ask former president Frederick Chiluba to support him in the forthcoming presidential elections.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MICHAEL MABENGA, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:58 AM