Graft and the ruling cartel

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:38:15 +0000

We are surprised that the Anti-corruption Commission has suddenly sprung into action to probe Minister of Defense Geoffrey Mwamba after a newspaper report alleging corruption.

We have been reporting cases of clear corruption revealed by official institutions including the Bank of Zambia and no such prompt action has resulted.

We have published reports of billions of Kwacha stolen from accounts illegally reposed in the Bank of Zambia by crooks masquerading as corruption crusaders and nothing has happened.

We have reproduced a letter from the Bank of Zambia showing that the K14billion obtained by Mutembo Nchito, Fred M’membe and Nchima Nchito from the Bank of Zambia violated Banking regulations apart from infringing capital regulations.

Nothing has happened. Absolutely nothing.

This is in spite of the fact that DBZ Bank Chief Executives stood ready to provide evidence. In fact one of them Dr. Abraham Mwenda, has paid the ultimate price having gone as far as filing a court document withdrawing the nullifying the contrived withdrawal of the case schemed by those who wish to plunder public funds.

He was retired from Government.

Instead Judges of the High and Supreme courts who had absolutely nothing to do with the irregular manner in which the money was obtained have now come in for  humiliation, calumny and denigration and  yet they were not party to the initial  flawed transaction which the Bank of Zambia exposed.

This very same Commission failed to inform President Sata and indeed misled the entire National Assembly into believing that there were no cases against Mutembo Nchito who was considered for the position of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

Quite apart from the fact that Mutembo Nchito forged a ruling by Supreme Court Judge Gregory Phiri,he was accused and found culpable of criminal misrepresentation in matters that were already before the courts of law.

We thus have a DPP who is not only a forger but whose name is mired in matters of obtaining money by fraudulent misrepresentation. These are all matters on record before the courts of law.

The constitutional court of South Africa was clearly categorical about the qualities of candidates for such a sensitive position as DPP.

The matters in court are serious and should disqualify anybody with a conscience from ever aspiring for  them, but as they say thisZambiawhere everything and anything is possible regardless and in spite of the law.

The ACC should have been in the forefront ensuring that only a credible candidate who passed the bar of integrity was considered for the position of DPP.

That is why it is surprising that the ACC should now spring to action over an allegation by interested parties in the fraudulent plunder of public resources.

That is why we are not impressed that the ACC is showing some belated interest in the  now infamous oil procurement deal, which has been in the public domain for the last few months.

The deal has been a subject of serious controversy. Allegations of impropriety and outright corruption have been made, and yet there has been no effort from the ACC or indeed the Public Procurement Authority to clarify the matter.

We agree that if any investigation is to take place it should be done by an independent body that has credibility and is  beyond the cartel, otherwise this entire exercise will be a futile attempt at cleansing the “profane”

 

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