Mundubile claims state capture …as Diego Casili says; “Please don’t call me again”

By NATION REPORTER

BRIAN Mundubile has alleged that the relationship between President Hakainde Hichilema and businessman Diego Casili is not fraternal but that in which one has the command while the other obeys and this is what amounts to state capture.

And Mr Mundubile says Zambians should condemn the friendship between President Hichilema and Mr Casili with the same zeal and vigour they did when they censured former President Edgar Lungu over his relationship with Valden Findlay, another businessman.

But Mr Casili, when asked if the accusations that he had colonised and state-captured the presideency were true, he immediately terminated the call.

Afterwards, Mr Casili terminated all the subsequent calls made to his phone.

He later sent a text massage dictating that he should never be called again.

Mr Casili quipped in his text message; “Please don’t call me again.”

However, Mr Mundubile, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament said the recent meeting at State House where President Hichilema met a group of businessmen under the banner of Business Council Covid-19 Emergency Taskforce (BCCET) was in fact initiated by Mr Casili, an indication that the head of State was being controlled.

He said the outlook of the group of businessmen who were the attendees of the secret State House meeting should be a cause of worry to Zambians because it was dangerously becoming clear that state capture was lurking at State House.

Mr Jito Kayumba, Special Assistant to the President (Finance and Investment), at the request of Mr Casili, invited a group of businessmen under BCCET to a private sector leaders’ meeting at which it was recommended that Zesco was chocking with a US$3.5 billion debt and urgently needed to be reformed. At the meeting, it was claimed that Zambia’s economy in its current state was operating on an insolvent balance sheet under the restrictions and obligations committed under the International Monitory Fund (IMF) engagement.

But Mr Mundubile says it had become clear that a clique of businessmen who were politically exposed persons, had allegedly captured the presidency and were making decisions on the governance of the country.

The Patriotic Front presidential candidate claimed that most of the government contracts were now being awarded to people who were closely associated with the Stately, citing a consultancy contract in the Ministry of Mines which has been awarded to African Life Financial Services.