Maravi

Rupiah directs govt to pay Chongwe US$5.9m

Rupiah directs govt to pay Chongwe US$5.9m
By George Chellah
Sat 05 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has directed that Lusaka lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe be paid approximately US $5.9 million as compensation for the 1997 Kabwe police shooting in which the latter and former Republican president Dr Kenneth Kaunda were injured.

Well-placed sources at the Ministry of Finance disclosed yesterday that President Banda has issued instructions that the government should compensate Dr Chongwe.

“The President has issued a directive that Dr Chongwe be given a sum amounting to approximately US $5.9 million. These instructions came from the Head of State himself,” the source said.

“But to understand this matter clearly, one needs to appreciate the fact that this issue was once handled by the late Levy Mwanawasa's administration. During the late Mwanawasa's administration, a sum of about US $60,000 was offered as compensation to Dr Chongwe and about K 500 million was also offered to Dr Kaunda. But we are told that Dr Chongwe could not get this offer from the government. Therefore, it was only Dr Kaunda, if I am not mistaken; who received his amount and the matter was settled.

“But it seems the late Mwanawasa's government was not willing to negotiate with Dr Chongwe or take anything higher than the US $60,000 they offered. Now we are being told that State House, and President Banda in particular has issued instructions that about US $5.9 million be sourced and paid to Dr Chongwe.”

The source said the minister of finance Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane was worried because he does not know where the ministry would get that kind of money.

“I can confirm that we have been informed that about US $5.9 million be sourced and paid to Dr Chongwe as compensation from the Zambian government over the 1997 Kabwe shooting in which he was injured with Dr Kaunda,” the source said.

“But the question everyone here at the ministry is asking including the minister is, where will the government find that kind of money to pay Dr Chongwe alone? To be honest with you when you look at the numerous obligations the country has, there is no way we can proceed to pay that amount unless President Banda as usual leans on the minister of finance.

“What is even strange about this whole issue is that we cannot understand why the President is so much involved and no one also understands how he arrived at such a huge figure as compensation for Dr Chongwe when the late Mwanawasa didn't even come near to that figure when the issue of compensation was raised; not even Dr Kaunda received anything close to that.”

Dr Chongwe could not be reached for a comment, as he was reportedly out of the country. During last year's presidential by-election, PF leader Michael Sata said Dr Chongwe was supporting Rupiah Banda’s candidature on tribal grounds.

“Comrade Rodger Chongwe is trying to use tribalism thinking that if he comes in the open to support Rupiah Banda and when Rupiah Banda is elected, he is going to get his (Chongwe's) US $2.5 million but that should not be our preoccupation,” said Sata.

He said former president Frederick Chiluba and president Mwanawasa refused to pay Dr Chongwe the US $2.5 million, which he claimed from the government after being shot in Kabwe on grounds that the judgment was obtained in a foreign country and the Zambian government had not been given an opportunity to defend itself.

In 1997 during Chiluba's rule, Dr Kaunda was shot and wounded by police and Dr Kaunda accused Chiluba of attempting to assassinate him.

Dr Kaunda was grazed on the head by a bullet. Dr Chongwe, who was the leader of the Liberal Progressive Front (LPF), was also injured during the same shooting.

Labels: ROGER CHONGWE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:18 AM