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(LUSAKATIMES) State house comments on Former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane

COMMENT - Former Finance Minister Musokotwane has always *at least* looked the other way from corruption, even when he was a non-executive director at ZCCM-IH, which neglected to insiste on the collection of hundreds of millions of dollars a year in dividend payments. He then went on to abolish the Windfall Tax, again costing the Zambian taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars. Then, he was found with well over 1000 bicycles at his own residence, which can only have been intended for party political purposes.

State house comments on Former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane
TIME PUBLISHED - Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 4:31 pm
Issued by George Chellah( special assistant to the President on press and public relations)

Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane, the former Minister of Finance under the MMD government has disputed our factual account that the previous regime illegitimately printed money.

Not so surprising, Dr Musokotwane has gone further to describe the facts laid bare by this office as “false, shameful and embarrassing.”

These are very serious charges from a man whose locus standi on this matter and many other oversights unearthed concerning the previous administration, is extremely hard to comprehend.

Dr. Musokotwane seems to be acting like a very useful, but out of control spokesperson of a troubled group seeking to confuse the due process of law with politics.

Nevertheless, his incessant outbursts provide helpful pointers especially to the investigators pursuing the many leads into the wrong-doing that went on under the previous regime. It shall soon dawn on him that there is nothing to defend about the many excesses of the past regime’s unpatriotic conduct.

For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to make it abundantly clear that the biggest and most serious challenge facing Zambia today, whether Dr Musokotwane and his colleagues agree or not, is excessive greedy and corruption.

Under the previous administration which Dr. Musokotwane served with pride, this scourge assumed endemic proportions as authorities turned a blind eye to it for obvious reasons.

No reasonable person privy to the rot that went on under the immediate-past leadership can ignore the deplorable state of affairs under which the MMD left this country. Dr Musokotwane and his colleagues must just own up instead of trivializing the otherwise serious irregularities the new administration continues to encounter as it cleans up Government.

Dr Musokotwane and his colleagues must not panic and resort to half-truths but instead wait for the due process of the law to take its course.

The Republican President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata has repeatedly stated that “this is not a witch-hunt but a legitimate search for the truth.” Let it be known that the President would definitely be the happiest to see that our former leaders are cleared of possible wrong-doing by law enforcement agencies.

Former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane is said to have advised President Sata to stop making careless statement on the Kwacha that could jeopardise Zambia’s international position.

Dr. Musokotane said Sata is lying as all the currency which the MMD left in circulation is genuine and he wondered whether Sata would create another unnecessary Commissions of Inquiry for this matter.

Musokotwane challenged the Bank of Zambia to publicly state its position on this matter and say whether the MMD government ever forced the Central Bank to print money.

Labels: CORRUPTION, GEORGE CHELLAH, MMD, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE

posted by MrK @ 5:05 PM