MCDONALD Chipenzi says Zambians must demand to know who the well-wishers who are posturing to have refunded the State, on behalf of illegal ministers, are.
At a media briefing in Kitwe on Saturday, PF secretary general Davies Mwila said Chishimba Kambwili and Harry Kalaba were the only former ministers who had to pay back their debt.
He said the goodwill of PF’s well-wishers did not cater for the duo.
Kalaba, who is president of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), already refunded the State.
Kambwili is also president of another opposition political party, the National Democratic Party (NDC).
Mwila disclosed that former ministers who illegally stayed in office when Parliament was dissolved in May 2016 have had their debt paid for by individuals and companies sympathetic of the PF.
However, Governance, Elections, Advocacy, Research Services (GEARS) Initiative Zambia executive director, Chipenzi, said Mwila should not end at announcing that the payback of allowances and salaries by former and serving ministers were done by PF well-wishers.
He said Zambians want to know who those well-wishers were, who paid the K4 million bill at a go: “for these able persons.”
Chipenzi added that accountability and transparency were important in managing public affairs.
“Further, we demand this because government recently reviewed national laws to include monitoring money laundering and terrorism financing activities in the country,” Chipenzi said, in a statement availed to The Mast. “We don’t want our people to speculate that the money may be from money launderers and terrorism financiers. Therefore, like Peter Sinkamba disclosed as the funder of Stephen Kampyongo and Musenge Mwenya’s payback, there is no need for the SG (secretary general Mwila) to hide the well-wishers if their help was in good faith unless it is not.”
He is shocked that Mwila, unlike the Secretary to Cabinet Simon Miti or Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba, is the one making such an announcement of paying back.
Chipenzi has since demanded for proof of payment, not only verbal communication from a party functionary – Mwila
“We also aware that over 40 out of the 64 former ministers took the matter back to the Constitutional Court to allow them pay back in monthly instalments of K10,000 each for those still serving as ministers and K5,000 for those [who are] no longer in government,” Chipenzi stated.
“At what point did the Constitutional Court pronounce itself over this? How did government accept payment and conclusion of the matter when it is still active before the courts of law?”
He further stated that if the act of former and serving ministers refunding the State, when over 40 of them had taken back the matter to court, was not contemptuous, “then we don’t know what constitutes contempt of court.”
Chipenzi challenged the Secretary to Cabinet or the Secretary to the Treasury to inform the nation on the matter.
“The Attorney General is also called upon to clarify some of the salient issues on the legality of paying [back] before the case is withdrawn from court,” stated Chipenzi. “The repayment, without disclosing [who the well-wishers are], stinks of corruption.”