Andrew to stay on until probe is concluded

Andrew to stay on until probe is concluded
By Joseph Mwenda
Sun 06 May 2012, 15:00 CAT

ANDREW Banda says he will stay in the country until the investigative wings are satisfied with their findings on all allegations against him.

In an interview yesterday, Andrew who is former president Rupiah Banda's son and Zambia's deputy High Commissioner to India, said his decision to stay was arrived at following media reports that he was avoiding the team of investigators.

Investigative wings are probing Andrew for allegedly soliciting a cut from an Italian construction company Fratelli Locci and over K190 million, money suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Andrew, with his lawyer Sakwiba Sikota, reported at the former Task Force on Corruption offices on Tuesday and took three hours with the team of investigators.

Investigators asked Andrew to report back for further questioning the following day, but he did not do so.

Andrew however explained that his lawyer was only able to do so on Thursday because he was busy on the agreed date.

"My lawyer is one of the busiest lawyers south of the equator and therefore he needs time to organise documents that he is asked to submit to the investigators, so the question of failing to appear before the investigators does not arise," Andrew said.

He said because of such insinuations, he had decided to stay in the country until the investigations were concluded.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended my leave until tomorrow (today) in which I have to go back to India but I will stay here. My fear is that if I go, the report will be that I ran away," he said.

Andrew said he had been cooperating with the team that is probing him.

"You have to understand that the Zambian government spent money for two investigators to travel to India for four days and a nights to question me from there over this matter. But the moment I heard what they wanted to ask me, I offered that I must be questioned from my country because I am not Indian. My hair is Zambian, my skin texture is Zambian, my front and side elevation is Zambian even kayendedwe kangu (the way I walk) is Zambian, so why interrogate me from a foreign country? That is why I advised those investigators to apply for my leave to come to Zambia. They did not even spend 10 minutes talking to me, I offered to come here on the same flight with the investigators," Andrew explained.

Asked when he intended to report for work in India since his leave days were over, Andrew said the investigators will clear him once they were satisfied with the findings.

"I did not come here on my own, I was asked to come by the ministry (of foreign affairs) and it is not for me to apply. My point is that I feel it is the right thing to do. We have to allow this matter to come to its conclusive end. I am not comfortable to go and leave room for speculation. That is not good for my persona," said Andrew.