Maravi

Miti’s plea has put investigative agencies, DPP on serious trial, observes Lubinda

Miti’s plea has put investigative agencies, DPP on serious trial, observes Lubinda
Written by George Chellah
Thursday, June 11, 2009 12:32:53 PM

KABWATA PF member of parliament Given Lubinda has said Dr Simon Miti’s plea to President Rupiah Banda has put the investigative agencies and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in a quandary and on serious public trial. And Lubinda said it was scandalous for State House officials to even spend taxpayers' time to debate such a straightforward matter as Dr Miti's letter to President Banda.

Reacting to former Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Miti's letter to President Banda over the K10 billion scam, Lubinda said action on Dr Miti was required urgently.

"Without doubt the prostration of Miti before Rupiah Banda has put Miti himself, Rupiah Banda, State House special assistants, the police, the Drug Enforcement Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the DPP in a quandary and on serious public trial. Whether or not this is the right time to arrest Miti has become irrelevant in the eyes of the watchful Zambian public," Lubinda said. "Miti just has to be arrested and now for that matter. If Miti is not arrested and charged for whatever reason, the watchful Zambians will have no reason but to believe that Rupiah has used public office to protect one of his own in exactly the same way that he and his arch advisor Vice-President George Kunda protected Dora Siliya. The die is cast."

He said it was certain that there was more that Dr Miti knows about the scandal at the Ministry of Health than he was able to accept in his letter.

"Had that not been the case, he would have quietly waited for him to answer questions from the relevant authorities without having to sink that low as to make references as to how his mother and so on and so forth died. How he was with Rupiah when the latter's mother died and how he was taking care of the health of the late President," Lubinda said. "His having run to literally crawl before Rupiah like a puppy caught with a piece of steak in its mouth does before its owner, is indicative of his guilt. He needs to be arrested promptly. His plea for compassion is an indictment against himself. Investigating wings of government must be prompted by his admission of guilt to move in quickly and arrest and charge him."

He said Dr Miti's behaviour showed how Zambia had been reduced to a society that depended on patronage.

"He has been in this government long enough and no doubt he has seen it function. He must know some whose necks were spared purely because they knew which powers to rub shoulders with and which ones to patronize and glorify," Lubinda said. "Miti having worked with Rupiah and having interacted with him also at family and personal level over these years, as he indicated in his letter of appeal for compassion knows that Rupiah relishes patronage. In fact, he knows that RB is himself a patroniser. That is what gave him the courage and confidence to write his letter of appeal to the President referring to him patronizingly as 'father of the nation'. What cheeky from a man who otherwise would not be expected to use such metaphor!"

He said Dr Miti's letter reveals that systems of governance in Zambia today evolved around the Presidency.

"He is telling us that for an arrest to be effected the President has to approve," he said.

Lubinda said it was scandalous for State House officials to even spend taxpayers' time to debate Dr Miti's letter to President Banda.

"This is a serious impeachment of the rule of law. Rupiah and his advisors at State House or even his MMD should not be determining over who and when an arrest should be effected," Lubinda said." The role of the President on such matters comes into effect only in executing his prerogative of mercy and this is only after a conviction and not before."

Lubinda said the PF demands that the investigations be extended from 2001 and they should cover expenditures at provincial and district administrations.

Labels: DPP, GIVEN LUBINDA, SIMON MITI

posted by MrK @ 11:37 AM