Sata denounces Kunda

Sata denounces Kunda
By Chibaula Silwamba and Patson Chilemba
Sun 20 Dec. 2009, 04:00 CAT

PF leader Michael Sata yesterday denounced Vice-President George Kunda for alleging that LAZ president Stephen Lungu is a PF member when he was in fact one of the lawyers that represented President Rupiah Banda in the presidential petition.

And Sata said Vice-President Kunda is now attacking LAZ because he wants the association to be a conduit in a conspiracy to protect criminals.

Meanwhile, Lusaka lawyer Wynter Kabimba has written to Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga asking him to heed the Law Association of Zambia's (LAZ) demand for him to resign his position.

Reacting to Vice-President Kunda's insinuations that Lungu and other LAZ council members were either Patriotic Front (PF) members or sympathisers, Sata said Vice-President Kunda was insincere and a liability to Zambia.

“Comrade George Kunda has proved that he is more of a liability to Zambia than anyone else. George Kunda is former president of the Law Association of Zambia. Is he telling us that when he made the decisions he was in alliance with any political party? It is the same George Kunda who advised Levy Mwanawasa that prosecute Chiluba, the same George Kunda advised Levy Mwanawasa to appoint Farai Chalwe Mchenga and today he is advising comrade Rupiah Banda otherwise.

Does he mean when people talk sense, they become PF?” asked Sata, adding: “Stephen Lungu was one of the lawyers for President Rupiah Banda, yes. They Vice-President Kunda and MMD government are frustrated; they are under very big problems.”
And Sata said LAZ had refused to be an accomplice in President Banda's conspiracy to protect criminals.

"He Vice-President Kunda wanted to use LAZ to be a conduit in a conspiracy to protect criminals, and LAZ has refused to be an accomplice in protecting criminals," he said.
Sata said LAZ was not a puppet like Vice-President Kunda, who was a deceptive minion to President Banda.
"George Kunda expected the Law Association of Zambia to be a puppet like his Law Association of Zambia was a puppet for the government. And Lungu is a highly trained person, trained abroad, he cannot succumb to be a puppet of this government because he has his professional integrity to protect," he said.
Sata said desperation had engulfed President Banda's government following the position taken by LAZ for Mchenga to resign. He said Vice-President Kunda suffered from inferiority complex.
"George Kunda as a lawyer, he knows that he is not a prominent lawyer, he is not an eminent lawyer. We know that if he left today, he can't find a single client on Cairo Road, so he has to continue misadvising the President. There is no way the Law Association would be in a pact with us. They have condemned us; they have criticized us in the past when we said something which is contrary to the Law Association and to the judicial system. But on this particular one, if they agree with us, that's the most logical thing," Sata said.
He said it was now time to put an end to Mchenga's misbehaviour.
“Farai Mchenga changed my indictment when there was a strike in Chililabombwe when he gave me espionage, and up to today, he has never taken me to court. He wanted me to die in prison. If the High Court had not given me bail, I would have died in prison,” said Sata. “And he Vice-President Kunda says Mchenga Farai is a good criminal lawyer, why did he hire private prosecutors to prosecute in the Task Force?”

Sata said several people who refused to be part of President Banda's corruption such as Mumba Malila, Maxwell Nkole and Kapitolo had been fired while Mchenga remained just because he was a blue-eyed boy.

He asked those in government to reflect seriously on the position taken by LAZ especially that LAZ president Stephen Lungu represented President Banda in the presidential petition.

On Wednesday, LAZ asked Mchenga to resign from office, saying LAZ had formed the strong and reasoned view that the greater interest of the public and the criminal justice system in the country would best be served if Mchenga resigned.

LAZ has written to the Attorney General's chambers complaining that the executive has usurped the powers of the DPP.

This followed statements by President Rupiah Banda and his ministers, which confirmed suspicions that the executive instructed the DPP not to appeal the acquittal of former president Frederick Chiluba on corruption charges.

And in a letter dated December 18, 2009 and addressed to Mchenga, Kabimba told Mchenga that he could no longer command the respect and confidence of the public therefore it would be honourable for him to resign in order to restore confidence in the criminal justice system.

Kabimba's letter read: "RE: APPEALS FOR YOUR RESIGNATION AS DPP. The Post Newspaper in its edition dated Thursday 17th December 2009 carried a story in which the Law Association of Zambia was urging you to resign your position as Director of Public Prosecutions.

It is clear to the public that your professional disposition over recent events has eroded public confidence in your continuing to hold the office of the DPP in our country. As a constitutional officer you must command the respect and confidence of the public on whose behalf you perform and discharge your daily functions. This is certainly no longer the case.

"In view of the foregoing it would be honourable on your part if you resigned the position of DPP in order to restore confidence in the criminal justice system for the good of the country."