By OLIVER SAMBOKO
ACQUITTED PF member and former cabinet Minister, Chishimba Kambwili, says he has in the past four years, suffered and gone through political persecution by those who held power.
“But I knew I was as clean as Dr Kaunda’s handkerchief,” he said.
He said the criminal charges against him were politically motivate and aimed at silencing him.
And his co-accused in the forgery case, Zambia Revenue Authority officials Lukwesa Musonda and Mulenga Kapilima have claimed that they were approached to falsely testify against Dr Chishimba and when they refused, the state concocted trumped charges against them.
Dr Kambwili, his son Mwamba and two others were yesterday acquitted by the Lusaka Magistrate on all the 39 counts after the state failed to prove its case against them.
The four were jointly charged with forgery and being in possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Other allegations were that Kambwili and his company, Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services, obtained pecuniary advantage of over $105,220 from China Henan by purporting that his company which was subcontracted was executing works on Luwingu-Mansa Road when in fact not.
It was alleged that Dr Kambwili and Mwamona presented a false ZRA tax clearance certificate to ZESCO purporting that it was genuinely issued, resulting in the award of a contract for the construction of houses and toilets under the Lunzua Hydro Power project.
Dr Kambwili said it was clear from the judgement in his favour that the charges against him were politically motivated adding that never again should political power be used by those in government to fix political opponents.
“Those in leadership today and those aspiring to be in leadership tomorrow must know that political power should be used to uplift the living standards of the people and not used to fix political opponents,” Dr Kambwili said.
He said his family has gone through hard times.
“My wife was stripped naked and also she and daughter were bundled in a police vehicle for merely coming to court to offer solidarity and to hear my bail application,” he said.
He, however, said that he has since forgiven the people who persecuted him.
Dr Chishimba also said he will with consultation his lawyers on whether to sue the state for the pain he suffered because of the case.
Passing judgment in the matter, High Court Judge Mwaka Mikalile who sat as Magistrate, said the state failed to prove the case against the accused.
She Dr Kambwili provided enough evidence of his legitimate sources of income.
She also said Dr Kambwili provided evidence of the contracts he had with companies such as China Henan and had various businesses which he was running.
On the ZRA officials, the court found them not guilty as they had authority to prepare the tax clearance certificate for Mwamona Engineering and Technical Services.
