Maravi

Mpombo reveals why he left govt

Mpombo reveals why he left govt
By Kombe Chimpinde
Tue 19 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT

George Mpombo has disclosed that he resigned as defence minister because he could not agree with President Rupiah Banda’s decision to award an arms supply contract to his son James’ South African business allies. And Mpombo says Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata is the best candidate in this year’s presidential election.

Appearing on MUVI TV’s The Assignment programme on Sunday evening, Mpombo revealed that had the deal gone through, James Banda (right) would have received 10 per cent from the total transaction as a kick-back.

Mpombo, who is Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament, said he was compelled to let the “cat out of the bag” in order for the nation to know how deeply entrenched President Banda’s corrupt tendencies were.

He said he could not continue working with President Banda after a fierce and spirited fight against the said deal because, principally his position was based on the trust between him and the head of state, which the latter was slowly losing in him.

“I’m not bamboozing the nation. I think it’s time for the cat to come out of the bag…I am gonna bite the bullet. The situation that led me to leave government is that I had serious differences with President Banda,” Mpombo said.

“What happened is that President Banda’s son James had organised a business deal with a South African company to supply defence equipment to Zambia. When I looked at the document, shivers went down my spine because it had a matrix of 10 per cent…you know, an arrangement in which the nation was going to lose.”

He said President Banda had practically assumed the role of a controlling officer over the deal by directly communicating with the said company and constantly watching over every one of Mpombo’s moves on the contract.

“President Banda kept on monitoring and before this deal was hatched, the South African company went to State House. It was a well connected situation,” Mpombo said.

He said all his efforts to woo the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, and his permanent secretary including other government officials to agree to take a stance with him to reject the contract failed, with warning responses from some of them that he risked getting his fingers burnt in the process.

“During a Cabinet meeting after President Banda realised that I was hesitant on the matter, the President came and threw tantrums and rage saying, ‘ some people…I had overtrusted them’. From that time, President Banda started exhibiting a barricade attitude towards me,” he said.

Mpombo said he was glad that he rejected the contract that would eventually enrich President Banda’s family at the expense of the many poor Zambians.

“It was absolutely dirty, a hanky-panky sort of deal. I am glad I shot it down because many people were going to suffer,” Mpombo said.

He said he had no ill-intensions when he told the nation that President Banda displayed corrupt tendencies because he had proof.

He challenged those that were ready to take him on over his allegations that President Banda had engaged in what he termed tender rigging, to do so.

“I am not daft myself. I left the ministry in a very clean manner. If someone wants to challenge me over the South African arms deal, let them do it tomorrow. And I want to say I will take full responsibility for what I am saying, not MUVI TV,” Mpombo said.

He said true leadership was about standing up to defend what was in public interest regardless of the cost.

And Mpombo attributed his recent arrests over alleged financial mismanagement highlighted in the 2008 Auditor General’s report to President Banda’s manoeuvres to get back at him.

“President Banda and his colleagues have gone on a voltage of smear and spine because usually when dealing with an audit report, there is an audit query. No one has ever called me to discuss this particular issue. And as a Minister of Defence, you don’t expect to see one going to a lodge, to say ‘can I have a receipt?’

You have people who do that, but I have not been given an opportunity to even speak to my former bodyguards,” he said.

Meanwhile Mpombo predicted that Sata and PF would win this year’s election following President Banda’s political blunders.

“Without mincing any words, I think Michael Sata stands a hell of a chance. Last time he lost by a whisker with only 35,000 votes. I can assure you that with the political pandemonium that Mr Banda has caused, Sata will win,” he said.

Mpombo said it was sad that President Banda had decided to surround himself with people who were using defective tools of analysis and understanding.

“You have nine provinces: you have Sata in Northern Province, Luapula Province, Copperbelt; you have Sata in Lusaka and this political embroglio President Banda created in Western Province. So, that’s why you are seeing people flocking to PF,” said Mpombo.

Labels: CORRUPTION, GEORGE MPOMBO, JAMES BANDA, RUPIAH BANDA, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE

posted by MrK @ 4:15 AM