Maravi

NAPSA $15m deal is shrouded in corruption, says Chongwe

NAPSA $15m deal is shrouded in corruption, says Chongwe
By Patson Chilemba
Mon 07 Mar. 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE NAPSA land deal from Meanwood is shrouded in corruption, says Dr Rodger Chongwe. Commenting on the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) claim that President Rupiah Banda did not influence the sale of 1,500 acres of land at an exorbitant price of US$15 million (about K75 billion) from Meanwood Properties Development Limited without following tender procedures, Dr Chongwe, who is a Lusaka-based lawyer, said that was insulting the intelligence of Zambians.

He said the same land could have been bought at a reasonable price from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing and the Ministry of Lands.

Dr Chongwe said there was no need to blame The Post for revealing the scam because the newspaper was only performing its duties.

He said the NAPSA board was subservient to the appointing authority and initiated what they were instructed.

“We know the legal procedures which are supposed to be followed by government, by parastatals, and that procedure was not followed. And therefore the whole process is marred in corruption,” he said.

Dr Chongwe said the shoddy deals were symptomatic of a failed state where state institutions did not function according to the law.

He said Zambians were literally running their own affairs because of the failed state and that the country was now on auto-pilot.

He said Zambians should go for the officials at NAPSA since the Republican Constitution exonerated the President from criminal prosecution.

“But those who act under his orders are not immune. We can go for them. Yes, we know who runs NAPSA. Let people like Hichilema Hakainde and Michael Chilufya Sata deal with Mr Banda at the highest political order,” said Dr Chongwe. “But at the level of Zambia let us go for those people, NAPSA and Meanwood.”

Some senior MMD officials recently expressed concern over the “scandalous” transaction at NAPSA, which President Banda is using to raise campaign funds for the MMD.

Labels: CAMPAIGN FINANCE, CORRUPTION, NAPSA, ROGER CHONGWE

posted by MrK @ 4:30 AM