MUNIR Zulu says if President Hakainde Hichilema is serious about the crusade against corruption in his government, he should resist the temptation of defending and protecting his appointees including Cabinet Ministers irrespective of his personal relationship with them.
Mr Zulu, the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) general secretary has maintained that he has solid evidence against Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane, the Finance Minister and Infrastructure counterpart Charles Milupi that the two Cabinet Ministers had received US$250, 000 from a contractor, money he believes could be proceeds of crime.
Mr Zulu, the Lumezi Member of Parliament has vowed that he is ready to be prosecuted for exposing corruption in President Hichilema ‘sgovernment and has asked Dr Musokotwane and Mr Milupi to expedite the process of taking him to court so that he could have his day.
Speaking from his cell at Longacres Police post on Monday evening, Mr Zulu said it was surprising that the entire State machinery had descended on him for only exposing graft in the new dawn administration.
He explained that after declining to present himself to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for loss of confidence, the police started tracking his phone and that he was finally cornered at Golden Peacock Hotel from where he was picked and bundled at Longacre’s police post.
“President Hichilema has been preaching that there shall be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption and we had given him a benefit of doubt over the mantra. But it would appear that the head of State does not mean what he preaches. By naming some of his ministers involved in corruption, I was only helping him to realise the extent of criminality in his government. I am the whistleblower but it has turned out that I have become a victim of those we suspect of engaging in graft. How do you fight corruption by harassing, intimidating and arresting whistleblowers? That is not how you fight corruption,” Mr Zulu said.
Mr Zulu said the evidence he allegedly has against Dr Musokotwane and Mr Milupi shall be released to Zambians at an appropriate time and that he was ready to be taken to court.
He stated that at no time in his entire life had he ever been malicious and that his exposing of Dr Musokotwane and Mr Milupi was never meant to malign the two ministers nor to destroy their reputations constructed over many years.
He said he was not worried that the State had decided to hunt him down instead of pursuing those who had been accused of engaging in corruption.
Mr Zulu said he is wondering why the State was in panic after revelations that Dr Musokotwane and Mr Milupi were allegedly involved in corruption, stating that if the duo were innocent, they should not have involved the police but should have gone to court.
“I have been detained without being charged. When the police found me at Golden Peacock, they told me they were arresting me based on complaints from Dr Musokotwane and Mr Milupi over criminal libel. But these are the people who threatened to sue me…but they have decided to use the police to harass and intimidate me. It will not work because I know what I have against the two gentlemen,” Mr Zulu said.
