By KETRA KALUNGA
I know the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) plans to arrest me once I avail myself for what they term as tempering with witnesses that I am not even aware of because they have not been called by the courts of law but I am ready for them, former Lusaka province minister, Bowman Lusambo has said.
The ACC said yesterday during a first quarter press briefing said that they have engaged Mr. Lusambo’s lawyers as he had been elusive to avail himself for questioning on other allegations leveled against him.
But Mr. Lusambo who was still out of the country told the Daily Nation in an interview that he was not scared of whatever plans the ACC had laid for him because the witnesses they alleged he tampered with were not known.
Mr. Lusambo said he has never failed to avail himself before the ACC and would not do so this time around because he was ready to defend himself.
Mr. Lusambo said he was not shaken by the said fresh allegations because his biggest allegation was the seizure of his house on accusations that it was built from proceeds of crime.
“The biggest allegation was my house which the ACC seized in absentia. Which other allegations can they fail to tell the nation, they just want to silence political heavy weights like me but there is no one who can silence me, that is not how you deal with Bowman Lusambo,’’ he said.
ACC spokesperson, Queen Chibwe said Mr. Lusambo has been elusive so the commission was making efforts through his lawyers to ensure that he avails himself for questioning.
And Ms. Chibwe has refuted media reports that Mr Lusambo was still occupying his seized house in Lusaka’s Chamber Valley.
She said the reports were not true because Mr Lusambo has had no access to the properties from the time they were seized.
Ms. Chibwe said the implications of the seizure notice served on Mr. Lusambo was that the ACC has taken total control of all the properties until investigations are concluded.
She warned that if Mr Lusambo sneaked into his house, he would be committing an offence and would face the consequences.
“We would like to emphasise that the particular property is now in hands of the ACC and we have placed police officers to man and safeguard them and so no one shall be allowed to enter the promises until investigations are concluded,” she said.
Ms Chibwe also dismissed reports that the ACC sent officers to South Africa in an effort to seize properties suspected to be linked to Mr. Lusambo.
She said the reports are a total fabrication intended to mislead the public and bring the name of the ACC into disrepute.
And Ms Chibwe disclosed that the animals at Mr. Lusambo’ house are unhealthy and would be relocated to a more suitable environment.
She said they were working with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife which examined the wild animals and found that they were unhealthy and needed to be relocated.
“The wild animals include seven Impalas, two Axis Deer, two zebras, two puku and two water bucks,” Ms Chibwe said.
