Maravi

Banda is implying that Levy was hateful, irresponsible – Mpombo

Banda is implying that Levy was hateful, irresponsible – Mpombo
By Patson Chilemba
Tue 17 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

FORMER defence minister George Mpombo has charged that President Rupiah Banda's recent statements on the dissolved Task Force on Corruption are implying that late president Levy Mwanawasa was hateful and irresponsible.

Commenting on President Banda's statement that he refused to appeal against former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal on corruption charges because the lawyers at the dissolved Task Force on Corruption were selfish people who wanted to make business out of politics, Mpombo said what President Banda was implying was that president Mwanawasa was irresponsible and hateful when he set up the Task Force.

“We want to ask President Banda, why is he fighting a man who is not fighting him, the late president Mwanawasa, the man who is laying peacefully in the grave?” Mpombo asked.

“You know the issues of the disbandment of the Task Force, the comments by the President and his colleagues are both morally and politically unjustifiable because the picture they are trying to paint is that president Mwanawasa was irresponsible in his activities, hateful and wasteful in the performance of the national Task Force. You know these divisive tactics are counter-productive and they have got the capacity to divide the nation.”

Mpombo also asked Vice-President George Kunda to come out clearly in the open because he was one of the pioneers in the formation of the Task Force. He said it was sad that Vice-President Kunda had remained cowardly silent when president Mwanawasa was being insulted by President Banda.

Last week, President Banda claimed that the dissolved Task Force lawyers were paid US $13 million to prosecute Chiluba and yet they were prosecuting him for theft of US $500,000.

This was followed by another statement in Solwezi where President Banda said he refused to appeal against Chiluba's acquittal because lawyers at the dissolved Task Force are selfish people who wanted to make business out of politics.

On the MMD national convention, Mpombo said President Banda's recent statement that he would follow the constitution over the convention was vague and misleading. He challenged President Banda to come out clearly and say when the convention would be held.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 10:09 PM