Maravi

Chiluba is married to a convict – Sata

Chiluba is married to a convict – Sata
By Patson Chilemba and George Chellah
Thu 25 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

Chiluba is married to a convict, charged opposition Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday. And Sata warned that he will mercilessly expose former president Frederick Chiluba's activities in court.

But Mwata Kazembe of the Lunda people of Luapula Province said both Sata and Chiluba were his sons and he would meet them individually next week to find out why they differed.

Reacting to Chiluba who, through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba, said it was a gamble for Sata to seek legal redress because the former president was ready to meet him in court, Sata said he had decided to seek legal redress should Chiluba fail to apologise in the next one week because the law barred him from divulging government secrets.

Sata said Chiluba was under siege because his wife is a convict who was waiting for her appeal to be heard in the High Court.

He said he had a lot to reveal about Chiluba but was restrained from doing so because of the oath he swore when he served in Cabinet.

"We are going to court because the oath I took as minister is not to divulge anything on a colleague, except with the permission of the President or in the court of law.

I know Rupiah Banda cannot allow me to divulge information on Chiluba," Sata said. "If it is a gamble, that is even better.

It is not a gamble because every court action is a gamble. We want to prove mercilessly what kind of a human being Frederick Chiluba is.

When he is saying a gamble, he is just trying to intimidate me. Chiluba can't intimidate me, I am under oath and most things are under oath. I am not like him who wakes up and starts hallucinating."

Sata said going to court was the best way to deal with Chiluba because it would reduce his fake pride by confirming to many that he has no immunity as a result of his thieving.

"Chiluba has been hiding through Emmanuel Mwamba, but Emmanuel Mwamba will just be a spectator in court. It will be Chiluba in the dock," he said.

Sata said he was not after Chiluba's money.

"We are not going to court because we want money from him, because his money is the last money we would wish or grieve for, because all the money he has is ill-gotten," Sata said.

Sata mockingly said people must sympathise with Chiluba because he was a man in desperate need of freedom.

“He was in the forefront in Luapula campaigning for Chriticles Mwansa, now he knows the London judgment is in George Kunda's hands, he has betracked. He is under siege because he is married to a convict. The wife is a convict and is waiting for the appeal,” said Sata. “The Zambian people know who Chiluba is, so his activities are just bringing more people to us.”

Mwamba was quoted in yesterday's edition of the state owned and government controlled Times of Zambia as saying that Chiluba had received a letter from Sata's lawyers demanding an apology for the allegations stated against him during a press briefing last Sunday.

Sata asked Chiluba to apologise over the recent remarks he made that he was fired from the Police Service and that he had a marriage with Petronella Mpundu, which bore two children, among other issues.

Sata warned that he would sue Chiluba should he fail to apologise.
But Mwata Kazembe said he would meet Sata and Chiluba to find out what was wrong between the two.

“President Chiluba and Mr Sata are both my sons, now I think it is very difficult for me to take sides. But I will be in Lusaka next week. I will be able to meet them individually,” said Mwata Kazembe.

Sata's lawyer Dr John Mulwila gave Chiluba a seven-day ultimatum to apologise over the defamatory remarks he made during his recent press conference.

"We have been retained by Mr Michael Sata in connection with innuendos and remarks about him which were published in the Times of Zambia newspaper of 22nd February 2010 and are attributed to yourself.

We are informed by Mr Sata that at the said press briefing, which was attended by many people, you said the following about and of Mr Sata; (1) that he was dismissed by the Northern Rhodesia police force (2) that he was arrested and imprisoned because of some criminal offence committed in the police force; and (3) that he leads a polygamous life and had chombela ng’anda with Petronella Mpundu yet he goes to receive holy Eucharist in the Catholic Church," Dr Mulwila of Ituna Partners stated.

"The words complained of by Mr Sata are no doubt defamatory and the estimation in which Mr Sata stands in the opinion of others has been affected by false statements to his discredit. This is an infringement of his right and accordingly a wrongful act for which civil proceedings may lie.

Our instructions are to demand that the words said about and of Mr Sata be repented within 7 days of the date hereof and that an appropriate medium approved by us be used to convey any apology. Should we not receive a favourable response within the above stipulated time; proceedings will commence to vindicate our client's right to good name.

By copy of this letter, we are sending the same message to the editor-in-chief of the Times of Zambia newspaper."

Sata gave instructions to Dr Mulwila in his letter dated February 22, 2010.

"On the 1st Sunday of Lent, the 21st February, 2010 Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba called a press briefing at his residence on which he personally attacked me as follows; (1) I was dismissed by the Northern Rhodesia police force, (2) I was arrested and imprisoned because of some crime committed in the police force. He does not say the station, the year and the station where the offence was committed, (3) He alleged that I lead a polygamous life.

According to him I had chombela ng'anda with Petronella Mpundu, he does not say the year and the place where the chombela ng’anda took place," Sata stated. "Chiluba has no respect of the holy days; he arrested Kaunda on Christmas day.

Would you please ask him to withdraw and apologise within seven days or issue a Writ of Summons for us to meet him in court. Please find enclosed herewith a copy of Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail, Post newspaper and a recording of his press conference. The Times of Zambia should also be sued."

Labels: CHILUBA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:05 PM