Lubinda demands Kayukwa's resignation

Lubinda demands Kayukwa's resignation
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 13 Sep. 2011, 13:59 CAT

GIVEN Lubinda has demanded the resignation of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) director general Lieutenant Colonel Godfrey Kayukwa for incompetence. Commenting on revelations in yesterday's Post that the commission in fact was investigating corruption and money laundering cases involving some officials at the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and Universal Print Group (UPG), Lubinda who is PF Kabwata parliamentary candidate said the truth had been laid bare.

In a press statement last month, Col Kayukwa denied ever investigating corruption at ECZ on any of its suppliers. But documents obtained by The Post have revealed that the ACC had in fact investigated the matter.

Lubinda wondered what Col Kayukwa's response would be to such revelations after covering up corruption for UPG of South Africa, a company engaged by the ECZ to print ballot papers for next Tuesday's general election.

"Now, as for Kayukwa the truth has been laid bare. I'm glad that The Post has also managed to get documents without me knowing about it. In their investigative skills they have helped me lay the truth bare. Now this must vindicate me, and in my being vindicated Col Kayukwa must do the honourable thing expected of honourable men and women, and that is to resign. We cannot have a director general of the Anti Corruption Commission who has all intentions of covering up corruption of this magnitude. I therefore appeal to him to immediately tender his resignation so that the Anti Corruption Commission should earn its integrity and credibility," Lubinda said.

"Under Col Kayukwa, I'm afraid that the ACC will not be respected by people. And an anti-corruption commission that does not enjoy the respect of the public cannot perform appropriately in the fight against corruption because potential informers will not have the confidence in informing the Anti Corruption Commission for fear that their information will just be brushed aside; for fear that the information may just be turned against them. So for the sake of us as a country winning the fight against corruption, I would like to urge Col Kayukwa to resign because now his lies have been laid bare."

Lubinda said when he first told the nation about UPG corruption, Col Kayukwa intimidated him through summons to their offices.

Lubinda said even police inspector general Francis Kabonde mocked him last week by saying he had no evidence on UPG corruption.

Lubinda said he wondered what Col Kayukwa and Kabonde would now say in view of the revealed documents.

"Now I wonder what Col Kayukwa will say. Is he still insisting that what I've been saying has been untrue? Is Col Kayukwa insisting that the Anti-Corruption Commission has not been investigating any supplier to the ECZ? Is Mr. Rupiah Banda going to continue to say that UPG is a damn clean company? Is Madam Dora Siliya going to continue saying I'm a liar? As for Col Kayukwa doesn't it touch his conscious now and that I deserve an outright apology?" he said.

"I kept telling the Zambian people, I kept telling Col Kayukwa that I was sitting on a volcano of information. Now finally the volcano has erupted. Is Col Kayukwa going to pretend that he never knew that Anti Corruption Commission actually took a warn and caution statement? Does he want to pretend that he didn't know? And indeed if he didn't know that there was a warn and caution statement taken by one of his officers then he deserves to be dismissed for incompetence because no investigations of that nature can be undertaken by a junior investigating officer at Anti Corruption Commission without the mandate of the director general."

Lubinda said it was surprising that even after he mentioned Venturefin and Aeron as companies used in money laundering, Col Kayukwa still chose to sit on the matter.

He has since challenged Kabonde to arrest culprits now that the evidence had been laid bare.

"When I mentioned Venturefin and Aeron, Mr Kayukwa responded by saying they were not investigating ECZ, and they were not investigating any supplier to ECZ. But now it has been established that actually this Vaidi is the one who was soliciting invoices from Venturefin, invoices that were supposed to go to an offshore dubious company called Aeron. What is it that Mr Kayukwa was defending? How many other cases has Mr Kayukwa sat on?" he asked.

"And for Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde he was saying I didn't have evidence because if I had evidence I would have gone to court. Now, he is the police chief and the police have the anti money-laundering unit that falls under Kabonde. Now Kabonde has evidence in today's yesterday's newspaper The Post. If indeed he is chief police officer who wants to act in the interest of the nation, can he swing into action now and question Col Kayukwa? Why did Kayukwa sit on such vital information? Why did he not effect an arrest for money laundering? Mr Kabonde should not pretend that he doesn't have information therefore he needs a complainant, no. Over matters such as this the state can be a complainant, and he can be complainant number one. Let him arrest those people who were involved in money laundering."

And Lubinda has challenged President Banda to state whether or not he knew something about the warn and caution statement that ACC recorded over the UPG saga.

"And I would like also Mr Rupiah Banda to state to the country whether or not he knew about this warn and caution statement, and whether it was on the basis of this warn and caution statement that he declared that UPG was a credible company worthy of being given a contract of such magnitude," said Lubinda.