PF tells MMD to refund FRA’s K5m donation

PF tells MMD to refund FRA’s K5m donation
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 01 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE PF has demanded that the MMD refunds the K5 million donation received from FRA during the ruling party’s recently held dinner dance.

In a letter dated December 28, 2010 and addressed to Food Reserve Agency executive director and copied to MMD acting national secretary Chembe Nyangu, PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba stated that as a government parastatal company which was financed by money appropriated by Parliament through the Ministry of Finance, it was improper for FRA to use taxpayers’ money to finance a political party whose objectives were not charity in nature.

“This act on the part of FRA is tantamount to plunder of public resources. In view of the above, the PF would like to know the basis on which the FRA board made such a decision and the provisions of the Articles of Association or the Act of Parliament which support or authorised the board to make the donation in question,” Kabimba stated.

“In the absence of such legal provisions, we demand that the MMD refunds the FRA the sum of K5,000,000 within seven days from the date hereof to enable the company to pay the peasant farmers, some of whom have not been paid to date for their crop sold to FRA.”

Kabimba stated that PF reserved the option to commence legal proceedings in the High Court over the matter.