Maravi

Zamtel sale reverse in public interest - Sichinga

Zamtel sale reverse in public interest - Sichinga
By Kombe Chimpinde
Thu 19 Jan. 2012, 13:56 CAT

CABINET'S decision to reverse the sale of Zamtel may be costly but it is in the interest of the country," says Bob Sichinga.

Speaking on Radio Phoenix's Let The People Talk programme on Tuesday, Sichinga, who is commerce and trade minister, said Zambians will realise that the Zamtel transaction was fraudulent once they study and analyse the report of the Sebastian Zulu-led Commission of Inquiry.

"What happened with the issue of Zamtel was personal interest. People wanted to make money out of it. These were ulterior motives and I am sure when the report is analysed and understood, it will be proven beyond a shadow of doubt that people wanted to benefit from it," Sichinga said.

"It's not because the law was inadequate in this case, it's not because officers operating these institutions did not know what needed to be done. They (officers) gave advice but there was insistence by ministers."

Sichinga said Cabinet's decision on the matter was analysed carefully.

"The people who would have to consider the costly reversal of Zamtel are the people who made the wrong decision in the first place. By the time of selling it, was it not costly? When the decisions were taken, when the institutions of governance such as ZDA were instructed in that manner, did Situmbeko Musokotwane or former president Rupiah Banda, my colleague (Felix) Mutati and Dora Siliya consider that it was going to be costly?" wondered Sichinga.

"The decision may be costly but the question that those that are against the decision must ask is whether the government would sustain illegality. It was against the background that this thing is not transparent. We were not against privatisation; we were against the manner in which it was being done."

Labels: ROBERT SICHINGA, ZAMTEL

posted by MrK @ 10:42 AM