By OLIVER SAMBOKO
INVESTIGATIVE wings should immediately probe revelations contained in the book by former Zesco board chairperson Mbita Chitala to clear the air since the allegations have been disputed, Green Party leader Peter Sinkamba has demanded.
In his book entitled “Corporate Capture, the Political Economy of Electricity Management in Zambia 2014-2021”, (How Not to Manage a State Enterprise), Dr. Chitala has made numerous allegations of corruption in the energy sector involving former government officials and corporate world.
Mr Sinkamba said since Zesco, Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) and others mentioned in the book have disputed the allegations, the only way to know the truth is by government investigative wings to probe the allegations to find out the truth.
“Since all those mentioned are disputing, investigative wings should move in to find out the truth,” he said.
Mr Sinkamba was however quick to mention that the alternative to carrying out an investigation on the claim is to setup a competent commission of inquiry since others may argue that the investigative wings are compromised and therefore cannot be trusted.
He said the most important thing is to ensure that the truth is brought out so that the nation can know what was happening in the energy sector.
“For now it’s beyond Zesco or CEC to respond and up to investigative wings delegated to investigate abuses of office to establish whether indeed there was abuse of office,” he said.
“But also because of the view by others that the investigative wings are compromised, maybe the best route to go is to establish a competent commission of inquiry to investigate the claims,” said Mr Sinkamba.
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