Maravi

ACC clears Kabimba, GBM of corruption

ACC clears Kabimba, GBM of corruption
By Staff Reporters
Wed 20 Feb. 2013, 14:00 CAT

THE Anti Corruption Commission has found no evidence of corruption against justice minister Wynter Kabimba and his defence counterpart Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, commonly known as GBM.

Late last year, the ACC was investigating the two cabinet ministers for corrupt activities. According to well-placed sources at the ACC, the institution had since concluded investigations against Kabimba and Mwamba.

"We could have officially written to the two ministers in December last year to tell them that we did not find any evidence of corruption against each one of them, but there were circumstances which disturbed us.

If you remember that was the time UPND leader Hakainde Mr Hichilema was arrested and charged with defamation of the President when he said that President Michael Sata was protecting Wynter Kabimba from prosecution," said the sources.

"So that was the time we wanted to write to the two honourable ministers, but that incident somehow disturbed us, and so we held on. In any case we will write to each one of them very soon to inform them about the findings of our investigations."

In October last year, ACC summoned Kabimba to appear before the Commission following its investigations against him over oil contract deals.

Prior to the invitation, Kabimba gave the ACC a seven-day ultimatum to make public its findings on allegations of corruption leveled against him.

The Commission was also investigating Mwamba on allegations that he solicited for a contract to supply and deliver Zesco poles.

According to documentation obtained by The Post, Zesco intended 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.

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

Labels: ACC, CORRUPTION, GBM, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 5:17 PM