CHIFUMU BANDA BACKS SETTING UP GRAFT AMNESTY
VETERAN politician Chifumu Banda has backed calls for the State to constitute a corruption amnesty that will enable people return illegitimately acquired money and property without facing prosecution.
At the weekend, Movement for National Transformation leader Daniel Shimunza suggested that the new UPND government should introduce a corruption amnesty for those that had stolen public money and assets to return them swiftly.
Commenting suggestion, Mr Banda said that a corruption amnesty was a welcome idea but that it should be broadened.
He said that all those who had illegally obtained money and assets needed to be given a time frame for them to return the properties.
Mr Banda said that the new government should bring about this idea so that people could freely come forward without fear of being prosecuted.
People should come forward and bring what they have stolen within a stipulated period of time to avoid the fear of being prosecuted,” he said.
Mr Banda said that money had been laundered and others had even built property using proceeds of crime and that those too should be probed and brought forward.
He said all those who were guilty just needed to own up and surrender what they had taken from the people of Zambia.
Mr Banda however said that it was not wrong for an individual to keep money in homes as long as they acquired it legitimately.
He said it was up to an individual to choose where to put their money as long as they were not involved in any criminal activities.
“There is nothing wrong with someone keeping huge amounts in their homes the problem comes in if it was corruptly obtained,” Mr Banda said.
By ADRIAN MWANZA
