CORRUPTION CONVICTION TAKES 20 YEARS 😳
By Miles B. Sampa, MP (30.12.2022))
In the pic guess in the holding cell at the Supreme Court awaiting the Kasalanga (caged truck) to take them to Chimbokaila prison to serve their 5 years sentence. The 3 have been convicted from Magistrate, High, Appeals and today at the Supreme Court and jailed 5 years. The crime is public resources corruption committed some 20 years ago when MMD was in power under FTJ (MHSRIEP).
I know all of them in person and all are good persons. In 2001 as the Agronomist business manager at Agriflora Ltd we applied to the Ministry of Finance for export vegetables small scale farmers outgrowers scheme. My Boss then Neil Slade and I found ourselves in the Finance Minister’s office whose name was Dr Katele Kalumba.
A very jovial man and in no time he told his technocrats to consider us for the UK sponsored grant under MOF as we were supporting small scale farmers. Meeting took about 5 minutes and done. Man of action. No time wasting. Loved him since despite all what was said and written about him.
As a treasury manager at Barclays Bank, I used to interact and give Aaron Chungu negotiated interest rates for his term deposits on behalf of Access Financial services. Very pushy though and would quickly escalate to my then MD Margaret Mwanakatwe if not happy with the interest rate I would insist on. Turns out this was about the same time now President HH was our Board member at Barclays Bank.
Faustin Kabwe who was Aaron Chunga’s Boss at Access Financial services only got to know years later at the Lusaka golf club and played with him a few times. What a humble and courteous gentleman.
There are questions to be asked and lessons to be learned here by all concerned citizens but best on my part to keep my thoughts to myself.
For now I can only wish them well as brothers I grew to know in person and wish them God’s strength to endure their circumstances.
MBS30.12.2022
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