Magande seeks apology from MMD youth chairman

Magande seeks apology from MMD youth chairman
Written by Ernest Chanda
Saturday, March 07, 2009 10:11:33 AM

FORMER finance minister Ng'andu Magande has asked Lusaka Province MMD youth chairman Bento Chewe to apologise for alleging that he abused his office in his involvement with Zambian Airways during his tenure of office.

In a letter dated March 5, 2009 in response to Chewe's statement on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation's television on Monday that the MMD should discipline Magande for his abuse of office, Magande stated that he had never misconducted himself when he was finance minister. Magande stated that Chewe based his statement on mere politicking rather than facts.

"... At 19:00 hours on Monday 2nd March 2009, while in company of other MMD party officials, you were shown giving a public statement on me during prime news time on Television Zambia. In your statement, you demanded that the MMD party national executive eommittee (NEC) should take disciplinary measures on Mr Magande, the former Minister of Finance and National Planning for the offence of 'Abuse of Office.' You went further to indicate that the offence involved me assisting Zambian Airways to obtain loans and deferment of payment of these loans," Magande stated. "You went further to say that I stopped ZRA [Zambia Revenue Authority] and NAC [National Airports Corporation] from collecting their dues and that Zambia lost US$30 million. The conclusion of any normal person is that your statement was meant to slur my character in the opinion and eyes of the general public, both locally and internationally.

"Your statement has greatly injured and damaged my personal reputation and integrity built over many years of impeccable service to Zambians and the international community. I therefore demand a written apology and a broadcast of the same on television Zambia at 19:00 hours before 11th March 2009. In any case, I reserve my rights."

Magande maintained that he did not commit any criminal offence in his operations as minister of finance.

"... I had been appointed to the post of Minister of Finance and National Planning on 3rd July 2003 by late president Dr Levy P Mwanawasa who passed away on 19th August 2008. During my tenure of office, president Mwanawasa used to remind me of my responsibilities and gave advice on how best to execute the duties of my office," he stated. "The offence of abuse of office you broadcast implies that I did things beyond the given and authorised mandate and for a bad purpose. I put it to you that you did not know the mandate I was using to execute the responsibilities assigned to me by late president Mwanawasa. Therefore your statement that I abused my office was not based on any facts, as you were not privy to my appointment letters and discussions with my appointing authority. You were not in attendance at any meetings where the matter of Zambian Airways was discussed by concerned government officials," Magande stated.

He asked Chewe to participate in orderly investigations as a member of the ruling party instead of being malicious.

"Your government announced the setting up of a team to inquire into the matter of the operations of Zambian Airways. As a member of the ruling party, you are expected to assist the government in the orderly investigations of this matter by tendering any information that you possess on the matter to the team. Your statement adducing judgment of the matter and calling for a penalty comes before the team has even called me to give evidence. Since you are not in the line of any authority that could have facilitated your being in possession of any authoritative information on the matter, the statement was malicious," stated Magande.

On Monday this week, Chewe appeared on ZNBC television's 19:00 hours news where he asked the party to discipline Magande for alleged abuse of office.

Chewe alleged that Magande tried to stop the NAC and ZRA from collecting taxes owed to the two institutions by Zambian Airways.