BOWMAN MOCKS ACC
…they’ll now get my underwear saying proceeds of crime
By Kombe Mataka
FORMER Lusaka Province minister Bowman Lusambo says President Hakainde Hichilema’s days in office are numbered.
He charges that the Anti-Corruption Commission is “wasting my time” adding that soon “they will start getting underwear and start saying proceeds of crime”.
Commenting on the arrest of his wife Nancy on Monday by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Lusambo said it would soon be President Hichilema’s turn to answer to possible charges when he is out of office.
Nancy was summoned to appear before the ACC at 14:00 hours on Monday and was subsequently arrested around 18:00 hours on charges of concealing properties believed to be proceeds of crime.
“I want to tell Hakainde Hichilema that the privatisation issue is not dead. Whether he died today, as we come into government, we are going to investigate. We are going to investigate the children, the wife and whoever will be in custody of their property because he has never given a convincing answer to the people of Zambia,” Lusambo charged.
“Now, I want to address him. I am a politician. I was born a politician. All my life I have been a politician. I have also worked before in this country. I worked for Carnival Furnishers, in Cash Crusaders. I worked for GTV. I owned my own small businesses in this country. It is very unfortunate that Mr Hakainde Hichilema thinks I just dropped from heaven, no! In my tour of duty, definitely, I have been having something. I have been investing. I want to assure him that his days are numbered.”
Lusambo said arresting him or his wife would not add any value to the well-being of the country’s economy.
“This is not what he told the people of Zambia. That ‘when we come, we are going to arrest Bowman’s wife. We are going to arrest [former home affairs minister Stephen] Kampyongo. We are going to arrest [former foreign minister Joe] Malanji no!’ If you arrest Bowman, so what? If you embarrass Bowman, so what? Is it going to change the exchange rate of the dollar to kwacha? no!” Lusambo said.
“Is it going to change me? For God’s sake! I know Hakainde is not sleeping because of Bowman. I know better politics than him and I can assure him that I am not going to stop talking. I will continue talking until he moves out of the seat. It is inevitable that he is moving out of that seat.”
He explained that the property over which his wife was summoned was a property which he was still paying for and had not concealed.
“My wife was called at 14:00 hours over Silverest Gardens properties. Silverest Garden has no contract with my wife. There is no property which belongs to my wife. It is just Hakainde Hichilema who wants to alarm the nation and embarrass people. There is no document connecting Nancy Manasseh. Silverest came to Parliament to sell these houses. National Housing also came to sell their properties at North Gate. Some MPs opted to go to North Gate while others went to Silverest Gardens. There is nothing like concealing. It is a lie,” he said.
“If you go toNorth Gate, 95 per cent of people in North Gate are MPs both from the opposition and ruling. Like my friend Kang’ombe of Dundumwezi [Edgar Sing’ombe], he has two to three houses there. My friend from Bweengwa [Michelo Kasauta] has three houses. They are MPs with four, five houses. I have not even finished paying. That is why we don’t have documentation. These guys (ACC) are saying concealing. What concealing? They started with 49 houses, now they have failed. They are just troubling her, she is innocent.”
Lusambo said very soon investigative officers would start asking him to account for his underwear.
He said there was nothing to conceal in properties which he could procure at K1 million.
“They are wasting my time. We are going to court on 9th March. Let them show how we changed names from me to her. Us parliamentarians, the money we get just sitting allowance is more than K4 million. Just sitting allowance for five years! Those properties are less than K1 million. How can I fail to buy? My gratuity is K2 million, how can I fail to buy a house?” Lusambo said.
“When I told people Hakainde does not like me, this is what I was talking about. I was a provincial minister. They went to Lusaka and Copperbelt, they never found anything. Now they will start getting underwear and start saying proceeds of crime.”
And Lusambo said he would not miss the second session of the 13th National Assembly because he felt his debates were being curtailed by Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti.
“If, God willing, I go back, I will be attending the sessions via online, because I am always curtailed. I only enjoy when deputy speaker, one Attractor Chisangano, is there. She is above board,” said Lusambo. – The Mast