Maravi

Sort out LAP Green, Sata orders Nchito

Sort out LAP Green, Sata orders Nchito
By Ernest Chanda, Kabanda Chulu and Felix Kashweka
Sat 14 Jan. 2012, 14:30 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has ordered Mute-mbo Nchito to prosecute LAP Green Net-work officials who bought Zamtel corruptly. Meanwhile, finance minister Alexander Chikwanda says taking the government to court over public companies that were acquired in a corrupt manner is not sustainable and will not be accepted.

And newly-appointed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mutembo, who has been elevated Nchito as State Counsel, says his vision is to have one law for everyone regardless of their social status.

The Rupiah Banda administration in 2010 sold 75 per cent shares in the country's only telecommunications company to Lap Green Network of Libya for a paltry US$257 million (about K1.3 trillion).

But the Sata administration has resolved to reverse the transaction on the basis that the company was sold corruptly.

A showdown between the Zambian government and LAP Green Networks has been brewing since Cabinet recently resolved to reverse the sale of 75 per cent stake of Zamtel to the Libyan company.

Last week, LAP GreenN's newly-appointed chairman Wafik Alshater was bold in his statement, warning that the company would do everything possible to fight for ownership of a majority stake in Zamtel.

This prompted President Sata to declare that the government was ready to fight the Libyans over Zamtel.

Speaking yesterday at State House after swearing in Nchito, President Sata said Libyans had dirty money with which they corrupted people at the time they were buying Zamtel.

"And 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, you must also go for the Libyans from Lap Green. They're the ones who had dirty money and dirty hands; sort them out!" charged President Sata.

And President Sata has urged the DDP's office to investigate how other companies and mines were privatised.

He said in a large part of the privatisation process, there was corruption.
"Look at some of the old cases: the privatisation of Roan Mine, privatisation of Kagem Mine, privatisation of Lima Bank, privatisation of Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone. All those are cases stinking with corruption," he said.

President Sata further denounced the Rupiah Banda regime for abandoning the fight against corruption, which was started by late president Levy Mwanawasa.
He said Banda and former vice-president George Kunda betrayed Mwanawasa by promoting corruption.

He urged Nchito and Malila, who were part of the corruption prosecution team under the Mwanawasa administration, to help fight the scourge.

"You have all been called back. Your former chairman of the defunct Task Force on Corruption, Max Nkole is permanent secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

And I'm sure that with the Attorney General who was once harassed because they didn't like his clean hands or that he was going to round them up, we expect to leave Zambia better than we have found it," President Sata said.

"There're still some Chinese companies which are funding MMD. If you get in touch with the people at the Drug Enforcement Commission, they will give you these details, they'll give you the names. They bashed all of you people in the Task Force and you were like orphans. Today we have the most deadly legal joint: the Attorney General, the Solicitor General and yourself Nchito.

We will expect you to assist the Judiciary because…don't blame the Judiciary that they are acquitting people if you don't prepare your cases properly."
And Nchito said he would work hard to promote the rule of law.

Speaking after President Sata swore him in as DPP, Nchito said he would treat people equally before the law.

"I take this as an opportunity to further contribute to the rule of law, that is what it is about. All of us are accountable and held to the standard of the law. If we are all equal before the law I believe that this country will develop," Nchito said.

"We can't have different laws for different people; we need one law for all of us, that is my vision. So, I'm not going to try and do everything myself. I'm going to work with the team that is in place so that we can move the office forward together."

And reacting to President Sata's challenge to the DPP's office to take good cases to courts of law, Nchito promised to meet the challenge.

"If somebody is innocent, they're innocent. If they've got an issue to answer they have to be given a chance to be heard before the courts of law.

So we are not going to be rushing cases into courts of law; we're going to make sure that by the time we are beginning to prosecute, good groundwork has been done. From my end I'll ensure that all of us are treated the same and those that are accused are treated fairly," said Nchito.

And PTA Bank has given US$ 8 million to Kapiri Glass Manufacturing Limited aimed at revamping operations at the country's only glass and bottle producing company.

During the signing ceremony of the loan agreement in Lusaka yesterday, Chikwanda said foreign investors who patronise and grow that constituency of corruption should stay in their countries.

"While Zambia strives and will continually and consistently strive to attract foreign investment, that era of dubious investments through corruption is gone and gone forever.

Dragging government to court in cases where some public officers breached our laws and there was a proven fraudulence by investors is not sustainable exercise even under international law," Chikwanda said. "Sale of public assets can only be legally effected by tender through the Zambia Public Procurement Authority. Under our laws it is also mandatory, that the Attorney General gives consent."

He said corruption was not an option on the PF government's development agenda.
"Corruption can never be cost neutral and the public and especially the media must always be relentless allies and partners in the crusades that are aimed at stopping and pre-empting resource misdirection in order to enhance poverty eradication efforts," Chikwanda said.

He said the resuscitation of the glass manufacturing plant would be a positive demonstration to other Zambian entrepreneurs.

"What has lacked in Zambia are institutions that can make concessionary facilities to Zambians who want to uplift themselves and the country in the process and this is why are working on restructuring and capitalisation of the Development Bank of Zambia," said Chikwanda.

Kapiri Glass Manufacturing chairman Costain Chilala said the total investments required to revamp operations was US$ 13.6 million.

"We have partnered with Glass Services of Italy and they will supply a glass turn-key factory which will have a capacity of 75 metric tonnes of glass per day and commissioning is set for next year and DBZ is providing US$ 2 million," said Chilala.

And PTA Bank executive director Moses Nawa said the institution would continue promoting and supporting projects that strengthen regional economic integration.

Labels: LAP GREEN, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 8:03 PM