Chiluba, explain your properties - Mpombo

Chiluba, explain your properties - Mpombo
By George Chellah
Fri 14 Jan. 2011, 04:02 CAT

GEORGE Mpombo has warned people trying to shield Frederick Chiluba that they will not manage to extricate themselves from future consequences of their actions.

Mpombo was commenting on PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba's statement on Wednesday that former president Chiluba is the 'Godfather' of the Panamanian registered company, Tedworth Properties Incorporated, which he used to purchase properties in Lusaka using public funds. Mpombo, who is Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament, said the matter was a clear case of money laundering and that the government should ensure that justice prevailed.

Kabimba made the remarks following Lusaka High Court judge Philip Musonda's judgment in which he ordered the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) to surrender properties to Tedworth Properties Inc, which Chiluba used to acquire properties in Lusaka.

"Even the so-called offshore companies, let the local agents of Tedworth Properties Incorporated, if they exist, come forward and explain how these properties were acquired," Mpombo said. "Mr Mulenga and others should also exonerate themselves from Mr Wynter Kabimba's challenge because at the moment there is a lot of fog surrounding these issues, everything is wrapped up in mystery."

He said it would not be in the best interest of anyone to shield Chiluba.

"Those who are trying to shield Mr Chiluba cannot extricate themselves from future consequences of their actions. Society is very dynamic, things change. Kaondes say bintu bikingya. There is so much unquenchable thirsty for Zambians to know the truth and if not satisfied, the same people can come and demand for the real truth later on," Mpombo said.

"As a country we must avoid making reckless decisions because these things boomerang and that cannot be denied especially in Zambia. We have seen issues being resuscitated when there is a change of guard. There must be a lot of prudence in these issues."

He said Chiluba must come out boldly and state his position on Tedworth Properties Incorporated and its properties in contention.

Mpombo said Chiluba and everybody mentioned should speak out on the matter.

He said this was a very straightforward matter if all those mentioned handled it with utmost sincerity.

"The challenge is to everybody, including Mr Chiluba, to come out and set things clearly. Let him deny if those are not his properties. Mr Chiluba should come out very boldly and state his position on this Panamanian registered company, Tedworth Properties Incorporated and the properties in contention," Mpombo said. "Let Mr Chiluba do that so that the disquiet or anxieties in the minds of many Zambians are put to rest. Even the former Lusaka Province minister in Mr Chiluba's administration Mr Sonny Mulenga, let him also deny that at one point he collected US $300,000 cash from Mr Chiluba to pay the liquidators of Meridian Property Fund for the properties in Lusaka."

Mpombo said the properties belonged to the Zambian people and that they should not be returned to an individual.

"There is incontrovertible evidence that public resources were used to acquire those properties and therefore the Zambian people have a right to know why there are these political shenanigans with regards to the issues of Mr Chiluba and those properties," said Mpombo.