The fast track court on corruption contemplated by Government will only be relevant if it backtracks its focus to include frauds and abuses committed since the 1990s, Youth in action for sustainable Development( YASD) executive director, Zebedy Lukwesa has said.
Mr Lukwesa said there were many cases of corruption which had not been fairly concluded that date back to the times of Task Force on Corruption
He said the fast track court should not only focus on prosecuting corrupt activities during the Lungu regime because there were many other cases in previous regimes, including abuses by the last Task force appointed by President Levy Mwanawasa which revealed that operatives had schemed off large amounts of money in consultancy fees which were irregularly obtained as revealed by the Auditor General.
Mr Lukwesa said for the fast track court to be of more significance to the nation, it should niot be selective but prosecute all cases of corruption some of which were alreaqdy in the public domain. He said there were unprecedented levels of dubious dealings in the past in which many people had been unfairly treated and national assets lost. “For the fast track court to be more relevant, it needs to back date its prosecutions to the times of the Task Force.
It should not target the PF administration,” he said. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe said the Fast Track Court on Corruption would not be used as a tool for witch-hunting. Mr. Haimbe said the fast track court would be objective and professional in its mandate. He said in an interview that there was no need for panic over the fast track court as it was well intended. “I and the President are on record on that,” he said.
Mr Haimbe said the process to implement the fast truck court on corruption was underway. “It’s not a political witchhunt, it is a legitimate exercise,” Mr. Haimbe said. He said anyone who has done nothing wrong should not fear because that exercise shall not be targeted at people but it will be aimed at getting assets that were illegally obtained
