Maravi

Dr Miti is not sacred, charges Kabimba

Dr Miti is not sacred, charges Kabimba
Written by George Chellah
Monday, June 08, 2009 6:51:54 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) secretary general Wynter Kabimba on Monday charged that former Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Simon Miti must be arrested if he is involved in the K10 billion scam. And instructions have been issued from high offices that Dr Miti should not be arrested but instead have his matter referred to the Director of public Prosecutions (DPP) to buy time.

Reacting to Dr Miti's letter to President Rupiah Banda, Kabimba, who is also a lawyer, said it was utter nonsense for a man at Dr Miti's level to think that he can be shown compassion through this type of patronage.

"Rupiah Banda must keep his word when he says he wants investigating agencies to get to the root of this matter and if Miti is at the bottom of this whole thing he must be brought to book. It is my hope that the donors will not accept this nonsense," Kabimba said.

"The police should arrest Miti whether or not he has met Rupiah's mother. I pay tax myself, this is my money, its not Rupiah's money. The President doesn't even pay tax himself. So Miti must be arrested if he is involved."

He said the K10 billion scam at the Ministry of Health was a matter of public interest.

"The K10 billion involved in this scam is the money of the people of Zambia. It is not an individual's money. There is no doubt that Miti is treating this matter as a personal issue between himself and Mr. Rupiah Banda as President," Kabimba said.

"The mitigating factors he is putting forward about the death of his mother, the death of his brother, health condition of his wife, his having known Rupiah Banda's mother are all irrelevant to this issue. It is this type of patronage which has killed the sense of responsibility in public officers in Africa particularly in Zambia."

He said it must be known by everyone that the funds in question are not President Banda's personal money.

"This money is not Rupiah Banda's money and Henry Kapoko (former Ministry of Health human resources manager) and whoever is involved have not stolen from Rupiah Banda's pocket. They have stolen from Zambians that is if it's established that they stole," Kabimba said.

Kabimba said to patronize the President in the manner Dr Miti is doing was something unacceptable.

"The President is not an investigating agency. He is not a police officer or Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) commissioner. He is also not the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director general," Kabimba said. "Miti should wait for his chance to give his statement on what happened to this money when he was controlling officer at the Ministry of Health."

He said Dr Miti should not pre-empty the investigations by patronizing the President.
"Miti should just wait until he has been called upon to give his side of the story. It is also my hope that the police, the DEC and the ACC will not be distracted by this patronage shown by Miti to the President," Kabimba said.

"They must ensure that Miti is brought to book if and when it has been established."

He reminded Dr Miti that there were more people that had lost loved ones in hospitals and clinics countrywide but were crying quietly.

"People that do not have a contact to write to the President using Dr Sichinga as a conduit. These are the silent majority and the voiceless that the investigating agencies and people of Zambia could be concerned about," Kabimba said.

"Miti is crying about the death of his mother he doesn't know how many Zambians have lost their mothers through the theft of that nature. He doesn't know how many people have lost sisters due to lack of adequate health care when money was being stolen at Ministry of Health. This is how selfish public officers can be."

And State House sources disclosed that a meeting was held over Dr Miti's letter to President Banda.

"When that letter was received there was a meeting by some senior State House officials they met to discuss the same. The meeting was divided there was one group that felt that Dr Miti needed to be answerable to the law," the source said. "While others felt that he had done so much helping leaders in the country especially when it comes to evacuations to South Africa and other destinations for them to seek medical attention and treatment.

"But later on there were instructions from high offices that he should not be arrested but to buy time they should say they can't move on that issue because they were waiting for an opinion from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)."
But DPP sources revealed that the DPP's offices' position was that Dr Miti should not be arrested.

"We are of the view that Dr Miti should not be arrested unless it can be shown or proved that he had pecuniary advantage from some of the issues he is being investigated on," the source said.

Dr Miti has written to President Rupiah Banda explaining himself about the on-going investigations over the K10 billion scam. In his letter dated May 24, 2009 to President Banda through presidential principal private secretary Austin Sichinga, Dr Miti gave his reflections and observations on the financial scam in the Ministry of Health.

"Dear Dr Sichinga, please find attached a report on the ten billion kwacha scam in the Ministry of Health. My observations and reflections. You may wish to share this information with His Excellency the President," stated Dr Miti, who was recently sent on forced leave as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training pending investigations in the Ministry of Health.
According to his report entitled "Report on the K10 billion scam in MoH: My Observations and Reflections", Dr Miti pleaded with President Banda to treat him fairly and with compassion.

"Your Excellency Sir, first and foremost, I would like to apologise for taking time off your busy schedule to write to you as the President and as the father of our nation," Dr Miti stated. "You have come to know my family, particularly my mother whom you met before she passed on. I was also privileged to meet your mother before she passed on. I write this report with a broken heart having lost my dear mother and after a month my young brother whilst my wife is in a wheelchair. It has been a distressing year indeed."

Dr Miti stated that after the death of his mother and some his siblings, he had a huge responsibility to look after orphans.

"I am very stressed at the moment following the death of my mother and brother through a road traffic accident and my wife who is incapacitated and currently in a wheelchair. Mr President, following the demise of my mother and my brother, my responsibility over the orphans has become bigger. You may wish to note that seven out of 12 of my brothers and sisters have all died and left orphans," Dr Miti stated.

"I am the sole breadwinner and custodian of all these orphans. My surviving brothers and sisters are unfortunately the youngest in the family thereby increasing the burden on me as the sole breadwinner. My plea is that let me be treated fairly and with compassion."

He informed President Banda that he was on compassionate leave because he was distressed with what had happened in such a short period of time after moving to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training.

Dr Miti denied knowing former Ministry of Health human resources manager Henry Kapoko. He stated that the ministry was heavily audited in the seven years he served there.

Labels: MINISTRY OF HEALTH, SIMON MITI, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 5:56 PM