Maravi

GBM must step down - Milupi

GBM must step down - Milupi
By Mwala Kalaluka
Fri 05 Oct. 2012, 14:50 CAT

ALLIANCE for Democracy and Development leader Charles Milupi says defence minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, commonly known as GBM, must step down to pave way for investigations into allegations that he physically solicited a contract to supply wooden poles to Zesco.

Milupi, who is former Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee PAC chairperson, said in an interview yesterday that President Michael Sata should take decisive and timely action against all those alleged to be involved in corruption or else his government would be undermined.

Milupi said his party was consoled when President Sata told Parliament last year that he was allergic to corruption but he said there was no way, for example, the country's National Security Committee, whose chairperson was Mwamba, could probe the corruption allegations against him if he remained in his ministerial position.

"These allegations that we are seeing against very high-ranking members in Cabinet, they are a serious indictment on the governance situation of this country and they will undermine this very government. Any government can fall if these allegations are not dealt with to the satisfaction of the people," Milupi said.

"It is accepted practice that when senior members of Cabinet are alleged to have done something and especially where proof is presented, those that are involved should step aside on their own to allow for proper investigation."

Milupi said in the event that erring ministers were unwilling to step aside, wanting to hang on to power for whatever reason, the onus was on the President to ensure that those people were put aside.

"This time we want investigations that will be independent but will come up with factual conclusions," Milupi said. "Already, you are seeing accusations and counter-accusations. I believe the law must be given an opportunity to ensure that these things are dealt with."

Milupi said President Sata should not bury his head in the sand in the midst of these serious allegations of corruption or abuse of office because these allegations would not fade away.

"I would like to believe that these matters with respect to one minister (GBM), which have come through The Post, if The Post can unearth these, what about the Anti-Corruption Commission, what about the police, what about the Office of the President? Have they brought these things up?" Milupi asked.

"When they come out in the newspapers, the way I know the security system, the way it works, they would have known about it. They must put them aside and for the first time institute genuine commissions."

Milupi said there were many reputable retired judges who President Sata could appoint to handle the probe.

"That is the only way he President Sata can clean up his government to prove that indeed he is allergic to corruption, and I am talking about both," said Milupi. "When there is corruption, timely action and decisive action must be taken and when that is taken, you will see that the levels of corruption will go down."

Mwamba, according to sources, is influencing Zesco to award his company and others where he has an interest a one-year contract for the supply and delivery of wooden poles.

But Mwamba said in an interview that he had always been a businessman and described as "nonsense" allegations that he was soliciting contracts from the power utility.

According to documentation obtained by The Post, Zesco intends to award a tender for the supply and delivery of 9m, 10m and 12m wooden poles on a one-year running contract basis to several bidders, including Arizona Marketing & Distribution, which belongs to GBM and two of his family members.

Documents obtained from the Patents and Companies Registration Agency PACRA indicate that Arizona Marketing & Distribution, whose bid price on the above Zesco wooden poles contract was US$7,214,155.00 (about K36.7 billion), is owned by Mwamba.

Labels: CHARLES MILUPI, CORRUPTION, GBM, PARLIAMENT

posted by MrK @ 3:22 PM