By Ernest Chanda
AMOS Chanda has charged that the current Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is too corrupt to fight corruption.
Yesterday, ACC officers went to search Chanda’s Golden Heights Farm situated off Leopard’s Hill Road in Lusaka East.
When The Mast team reached the farm, ACC officers had already left but Chanda was still there and seemingly annoyed with the officers’ action.
According to Chanda, who served as president Edgar Lungu’s press aide, a Mr Friday Tembo led a seven-man ACC team.
Chanda also said he did not find the officers but only found a note from a Mr Chilufya who asked him to join them at his other property in State Lodge area.
“Some malicious intelligence has gone to them that there’s something hidden there. These are people who are helping criminals hide money and harass innocent people like me. I want to agree with those people who say that there cannot be any credible anti-corruption fight with the current Anti-Corruption Commission,” the visibly annoyed Chanda said. “A corrupt organisation cannot itself fight corruption. I know each one of those people, I know their corruption and I can point at them. Now that they have started this, let’s take it to an even ground. From Friday Tembo to Chilufya, I know how corrupt these people are.”
Chanda also warned President Hakainde Hichilema that he would not manage to fight corruption with the current composition of the ACC.
“And because I’m a political animal, here is free advice to the President. Taking such a rotten thing in his office is dirtying the presidency. The Anti-Corruption Commission is a rotten institution which will just infect the new presidency,” Chanda added. “If he wants to take it in there, he must clean up that thing. This is free advice from somebody who served in the presidency. That institution is corrupt to the core. There’s no genuine corruption it can prosecute. Get it from me. I myself was a victim of 16 investigations from that institution. I was in office when they investigated me.”
He vowed never to be used anymore as a scapegoat by anyone.
Chanda said he was a citizen with rights that should be respected.
“Let me serve notice that I am not prepared anymore to be used as a scapegoat whether for the corruption of the PF government or for the corruption of the UPND government. I’m a citizen with equal rights. I’m entitled to freedom and liberty,” he said.
“I’m not charged with anything by any court whatsoever. So I can’t just have institutions waking up every day and making me as a scapegoat. If the UPND has failed to fight corruption they must square it up with themselves.”
Chanda expressed disgust with what he termed corrupt institutions of government.
“I left government on 6th June 2019, what corrupt decisions can I make today that should warrant an investigation? So, the message I’m making clearly, and it must be very clear, I’m fed up with corrupt institutions of governance that target innocent people and leave clearly identifiable corrupt people,” he said.
“Corrupt people in this country exist but I cannot hide from you, I’m not one of those. But I’m not prepared for a moment, not a single moment, to be used as a scapegoat by corrupt administrations – whether that administration is PF or UPND.”
And Chanda offered himself for a lifestyle audit, challenging ACC officers to do the same.
“I am prepared myself to stand up to any scrutiny including a lifestyle audit. As we do that, we must have an audit on each and every individual, corrupt individuals, in ACC. In any case we have heard in the public media that they can actually prosecute without evidence, that they can target an individual without any reason whatsoever,” he said. “This is not the pronouncement that President HH has made. And I can’t have an ACC officer telling me that they have new impetus from the President to clean up. Did the President send him to clean up? Did President HH ask him to come and clean up this, clean up what?”
Chanda however, gave President Hichilema a benefit of doubt in the ACC officers’ action.
“I give the President a benefit of doubt. I’m very doubtful that he told him (Chilufya) to come and do that. If he did that, I’m a citizen amenable to audience. The Judges Rules prescribe how somebody would be searched, that you cannot conduct a search in the absence of the accused,” Chanda added.
He wondered if ACC officers would also ask him to go wherever he has properties.
Chanda said he had served government with integrity, hence should not be harassed.
“Now they are telling me, ‘you must follow us where we are going’. Where does it end? I’ve land interests in Chinsali, should I now book a plane to follow them in Chinsali? I’ve land interest in chief Nabwalya’s area in Mpika, should I hire a plane to be following up these corrupt individuals? I’ve land interest on the Copperbelt,” he said. “I have had a distinguished career, I served with distinction in government. Those who thought they could use me as a scapegoat when I was in government took me to court. Where is that case? I’m not scared to face any judge for things of the past, for things of today, for things of the future. But what I’m saying is that I cannot tolerate any harassment.”
Meanwhile, Chanda revealed that his life was in danger under the PF administration after he left office.
“My life has come under extreme danger in the past, that is a story for another day. I would have been out of this country if it were not for fear that they will think I’ve left,” said Chanda. “Foreign governments had to, they came close, offering me asylum because of the risk to my personal life under the previous government. I can’t tolerate it anymore. If there’s anything from the previous to the current which they are looking for, let me see what it is. What is it here that they think has been stolen and I can defend it?”