BY KETRA KALUNGA and GIDEON NYENDWA
IT is an assault on democracy for the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to deliberately delay someone’s freedom after bail was granted by the court by claiming not to know members of Parliament acting as his sureties, the Zambia Republican Party has said.
ZRP president, Wright Musoma, said the ACC officers should know that the nation is watching their unprofessional conduct.
He said it is laughable for anyone to claim that they do not know Parliamentarians like Matero MP, Miles Sampa.
“If they can fail to recognize their own parliamentarians, then they do not deserve to be in those offices.,” Mr Musoma said.
He warned that the ACC officers were clearly working under orders but should also know that governments change because no one will stay in power forever.
He said it was nonsensical for anyone in such offices to claim that they did not know Mr Sampa, who apart from being former Lusaka mayor, is also a former deputy minister of Finance.
The rule of law, he said, is being abused willy nilly but the time of reckoning will come.
Mr Musoma was reacting to Mr Lusambo’s failed efforts to fulfill bail conditions on Thursday because ACC officers rejected his sureties on face value and insisted on verifying their details.
And one of the sureties, Matero Member of Parliament, Miles Sampa, posted on his Facebook page that he had spent considerable time running from the magistrate court to the National Assembly to get letters of introduction and a utility bill in his name to confirm his details and fixed abode.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday objected to Kabushi Member of Parliament Bowman Lusambo’s bail on grounds that they have to verify his sureties who include Matero member of Parliament, Miles Sampa and Chama South MP, Davison Mung’andu.
Mr Lusambo who met bail conditions was however denied his freedom because the Commission maintained that he be remanded in custody until all formalities were concluded.
Mr Lusambo has since been freed having satisfied the conditions of his bail.
Meanwhile, PF Media and publicity chairperson, Raphael Nakacinda, has said Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) officers are going overboard in an effort to please those who to persecute Patriotic Front (PF) officials and members which is very unfortunate.
Mr Nakacinda said it was high time the ACC officers were held accountable as individuals for the abuse of authority because it is incumbent on them to be professional in the way they do their work.
“There is need for them to start operating above board,” he said.
Mr Nakacinda said this when former Lusaka province minister Bowman Lusambo was released on bail in Lusaka on Friday.
