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(DAILY MAIL ZM) Get tough, Sata tells DPP Mutembo Nchito

Get tough, Sata tells DPP Mutembo Nchito
‘…Intercontinental Hotel Livingstone, Kagem, Lima Bank and RAMCOZ sale must be probed’
Mutembo_StateBy DEAN MWAANGA

PRESIDENT Sata has asked newly-appointed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mutembo Nchito to be thorough in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.

The President also asked Mr Nchito to go beyond existing cases of corruption and open some files from the past such as those involving the sale or privatisation of Roan Antelope Mining Corporation (RAMCOZ), Kagem Mine, Lima Bank and Hotel Intercontinental in Livingstone which the President feels were corruptly sold.

The four companies were privatised by Grant Thornton, an international accounting and consulting firm, which United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema, was a managing partner.

Mr Hichilema has constantly said the sale of the companies was above board and the Nchito-led DPP’s office may have to test this and bring the matter to an end once and for all.

The companies were privatised during the fast-track MMD privatisation programme under late President Frederick Chiluba’s administration.
“You will have to look at the old cases like the privatisation of Roan Mine, Kajem Mine, Lima Bank and Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone. All these are cases that are stinking with corruption,” Mr Sata said.
Mr Sata said this at State House yesterday after he swore in Mr.

Nchito as DPP and made a minor Cabinet reshuffle that saw Information Minister Given Lubinda replace Chishimba Kambwili at Foreign Affairs while Fackson Shamenda moved to Information.

President Sata also made Mr Nchito a State Counsel.

But even though President Sata has made it repeatedly clear that his anti-graft fight will spare no-one, Mr Hichilema has accused President Sata of ‘witch-hunting’.

He said President Sata knows that everything in the privatisation of the companies he mentioned was done above board.

The opposition leader, who on Tuesday accused the ruling PF of having single-sourced a buyer for Zamtel, said President Sata’s intention is to silence and kill the opposition so that he can rule the country alone.

“President Sata should be aware that if his intention is to beat down the opposition into submission, then he has got it wrong because he will not beat some of us,” Mr Hichilema said.

President Sata also revealed that there are some Chinese companies which are still funding the MMD.

“Go to DEC, you will find that some Chinese companies are still funding the MMD,” President Sata said.

Mr Sata said Libyans working in LapGreen must also be prosecuted over the controversial sale of Zamtel, saying they are the ones who corrupted Zambians.

“When you go to Zamtel, don’t look at Zambians only, these Libyans are the ones who corrupted Zambians. So, don’t go for Zambians only, you must also go for Libyans in LapGreen. They are the ones who have dirty money and dirty hands. Sort them out,” Mr Sata said.

Mr Sata asked Mr Nchito to prepare his cases properly before taking them to court so that he does not blame the Judiciary when accused people are acquitted.

“We will expect you to assist the Judiciary by preparing your cases; don’t blame the Judiciary that they are acquitting people if you don’t prepare your cases properly,” he said.

He said late President Mwanawasa worked well and created the task force on corruption but his successor Rupiah Banda and George Kunda abandoned his (Mwanawasa) will to rid the country of corruption.

“We had a president who had trust in human beings. One of the people he had trust in was his attorney-general, whom he made Minister of Justice. He also picked somebody from a Chipata farm and made him his vice-president. They abandoned the fight against corruption. They bashed all of you at the task force and you were like orphans,” Mr Sata said.

He said the country now has the most ‘deadly’ legal team of Attorney-General Mumba Malila, Solicitor-General Musa Mwenye and Mr Nchito as DPP.

And in an interview after being sworn in, Mr Nchito said his appointment to the office of DPP is an opportunity to contribute to the rule of law.

He said all Zambians must be accountable and held to the standard of the law.

“If we are all equal before the law, I believe that this country will develop. We can’t have different laws for different people. We need one law for all of us,” Mr Nchito said.

Mr Nchito said he will sit down with his staff in the office (DPP) and look at the projects they are working on.

“I will ensure that I pick up from where my predecessor left. I am not going to try and do everything myself, I will sit down with my colleagues so that we can move the office forward together,” he said.

He said his office will not rush cases to court but will make sure good ground work is done before taking them to the courts.

“My team will take good cases before the courts of law. If some people are innocent, they are innocent. If they have an issue to answer, they have to be given a chance to be heard before the courts of law,” Mr Nchito said.

He said he will review all the high-profile cases, adding that all must be prepared to be answerable for previous conduct.

He said when allegations are raised against someone, society must be patient enough to allow law enforcement agencies to investigate matters and bring them to finality.

Mr Nchito promised to ensure that everyone is treated the same way and those that are accused are treated fairly.

President Sata, who has publicly stated that he is allergic to corruption, said he wants to fight the vice in order to create new jobs and reduce high poverty levels at more than 65 percent.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MICHAEL SATA, MUTEMBO NCHITO

posted by MrK @ 8:16 PM