Maravi

ACC's lies over UPG shock Lubinda

ACC's lies over UPG shock Lubinda
By Ernest Chanda
Fri 26 Aug. 2011, 10:20 CAT

GIVEN Lubinda yesterday said he is shocked that the ACC has continued to mislead the public that there is no investigation concerning any supplier of the ECZ.

Reacting to a statement by ACC chairperson justice Timothy Kabalata that the Commission was not investigating the ECZ or any of its suppliers because he and Post editor Fred M'membe had refused to avail the Commission with any information on the matter, Lubinda said it was not good to see that justice Kabalata had been misled by ACC director general Godfrey Kayukwa.

"I have provided information publicly and challenged Lt Col Kayukwa to deny that he doesn't know about it," Lubinda said.

"I have provided details of a bribery account number 0140034477502 held at Stanbic Zambia Limited which was used to pay bribes to some officers of the ECZ.

Why is Lt Col Kayukwa ignoring this fact? I have also publicly explained how the corruption, bribery and money laundering was operationalised by UPG, the company engaged by the ECZ to print ballot papers for next month's elections."

Lubinda said when he held a press briefing last Saturday, he explained that UPG appeared to request some targeted officers of the ECZ to set up dummy companies.

"These dummy companies which appear not to be connected to ECZ or any of its officers are then requested to give dubious invoices to companies created and controlled by UPG in tax havens.

This is the information I provided on Saturday," Lubinda said. "I further said that ‘in one of the cases that illustrate this, a senior officers of the ECZ, together with other colleagues, set up a microfinance company here in Zambia called Venturefin'.

This has been confirmed by ex-Venturefin employees. Venturefin later issued a dubious invoice for a colossal US $90,000 to a UPG-connected company called Aeron Limited of Mauritius for fictitious services. Aeron then paid Venturefin and this money was received in Stanbic Bank account number 0140034477502 and enjoyed by an official of the ECZ."

Lubinda said he did not end just by providing this information but further stated that Lt Col Kayukwa knew these facts because whistle-blowers had already given the ACC this information and confirmed with him.

"And some of these whistle-blowers have been interviewed by the ACC and repeated the same facts to the Commission," Lubinda said. "Why is Lt Col Kayukwa not responding to these direct and very specific challenges? That is why I am shocked to hear that they are not investigating UPG and are even trying to blame me.

I have made this information available to the public and Lt Col Kayukwa has not said I have lied because he cannot say that while sitting with the information that he has on this matter."

Labels: ACC, BRIBERY, ECZ, GIVEN LUBINDA, VOTERIGGING

posted by MrK @ 5:35 PM