Probe Mahtani Nolle, Sata told

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:53:46 +0000

President Michael Sata is being held hostage by a clique that has turned the judiciary into a circus, Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) member Brebner Changala has charged.

As a result he said, Mr Sata appeared totally incapable of controlling what was happening because  the people he trusted with very sensitive offices abused their powers by making reckless decisions which the President failed to check or censure.

“I appeal to the decent senior members of the PF such as Alexander Chikwanda and Dr Guy Scott to help and prevail on the President so that he can free himself from the clique that is leading him to hell,” he said.

He was reacting to revelations that Finance Bank (Z) Ltd had discontinued its court claim of $4 million against defunct Zambian Airways owned among others by Mutembo Nchito the Director of Public Prosecutions who earlier this year entered a Nolle Prosequi against Finance Bank chairman Rajan Mahtani and his lawyer John Sangwa who were accused of forgery, uttering a false document and fabricating evidence.

The transaction, he said posed the question of abuse of authority which could only be cleared by an investigation.

It was for this reason Mr Changala said, that he had written to State House asking the President to examine the Nolle that the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) office had extended to Dr Mahtani and his lawyer Sangwa.

The new development made the case even more imperative.

“I asked the Anti Corruption Commission to seriously look at this matter because there were elements suggesting corruption and abuse of office, surprisingly everybody grew cold feet, and I have now been vindicated.“Worse things are yet to come if this is the way we are going to be governed. I invite serious opposition political parties  and the civil society to really monitor what is happening in the country at the moment.

“Every body has grown cold feet as the judiciary is being disorganised by a clique holding the President of Zambia  hostage,” Changala said.He cited the case of Judge Chalwe Muchenga who was called all sorts of bad names when he gave former Health permanent secretary Kashiwa Bulaya a Nolle.

Mr Changala has warned of serious repercussion for the PF when a serious government comes into power when all things would be revealed.

He challenged the Bank of Zambia to tell the nation who authorised the withdrawal of the Finance Bank matter from the courts of law, as non performing debts were a matter of statutory concern and who would pay for it.

“Where is the Law Association of Zambia and why are they quiet on issues that are affecting the citizens of this country?The events of last week, he said, showed that personalities from the PF especially those from the clique were overriding national interest such as the deportation of investors at the instigation of the clique.

He wondered why LAZ and civil society organisations were quiet in the face of an assault on the people’s liberty and freedoms.  The events were exposing their government’s weakness.