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(TIMES) Rupiah blocked Chongwe payment

Rupiah blocked Chongwe payment
By Times Reporter

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda blocked the payment of US$6.7 million to Lusaka lawyer, Rodger Chongwe because the amount was too excessive and was going to set a bad precedent, his special assistant for Press and public relations, Dickson Jere has said.

Mr Jere said in a statement yesterday that President Banda on November 30, 2009 instructed the Attorney General (AG) to stop the payment because of the large amount involved.

Dr Chongwe was initially awarded $2.5 million as principal claim following his injury resulting from the 1997 Kabwe shooting in which first Republican president, Kenneth Kaunda was also injured, but with additional amounts in interests, legal costs and loss of earnings, the amount went up to $6.7 million.

Mr Jere said although President Banda did meet Dr Chongwe in the company of the solicitor general at the request of Dr Chongwe who informed the president of the pending compensation to him by the Government, President Banda did not authorise the payment of the amount of money as being insinuated by some political players and sections of the media.

The meeting follows Dr Chongwe’s successful complaint before the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) under the optional Protocol of the Covenant on the Civil Political Rights.

Although the ruling from the UNHRC was recognised by the Zambian Government under the leadership of both second Republican president, Frederick Chiluba and his successor, the late Levy Mwanawasa, the dispute has, however, always been the quantum of the damages to be paid to Dr Chongwe.

He said President Banda instructed the minister of Justice, who is also Republican Vice-President George Kunda and the attorney general to meet Dr Chongwe and resolve the matter by re-negotiating the compensation through the right office of the AG and agree on a reasonable compensation to be paid.

Consequently, Dr Chongwe met with Mr Kunda and later with the AG and eventually agreed on the compensation without the knowledge of the president.

After meeting with Dr Chongwe, the AG proceeded to inform the secretary to the treasury in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to pay Dr Chongwe $2.5 million as principal claim and additional amount in interest, legal costs and loss of earnings, which brought the total amount to US$6.7 million.

“Upon noticing the figure, President Banda immediately issued instructions in writing on November 30, 2009 to the AG to stop the payment because of the huge amount involved.

Therefore, the role which the president played was to block the payment of $6.7 million to Dr Chongwe because he felt it was too excessive.

“The president was also concerned that the claim could set a bad precedent as there were many people with similar claims. These details and sequence of events can be checked and verified with the office of the AG and indeed the Ministry of Justice,” Mr Jere said.

He said president Banda had since instructed the AG to re-engage Dr Chongwe on this matter so that a reasonable compensation could be agreed upon and that no amount of money had since been paid to Dr Chongwe to date.

He said President Banda had reiterated his earlier stance that it was not his wish to answer to all the constant malicious and unfounded attacks by the media and his political enemies at the expense of providing leadership to the nation.

“The president’s focus is on service delivery to the Zambian people and, therefore, he will not waste his energy and time in responding to deliberately distorted media attacks aimed at diverting his attention from serving the people,’’ Mr Jere said.

Labels: ROGER CHONGWE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:04 PM