FROM DOLLAR, GOLD & FAKE GOLD TO ESPIONAGE?
By Peter Sinkamba
The goldgate scandal case is now confusing. First, up to now, no one is claiming the gold. Meanwhile, DEC is not disclosing how much more money (dollars) has been recovered from the initial amount publicly stated.
Meanwhile, in the indictment as disclosed by DEC this afternoon, there is no mention of “gold” and dollars? “Guns” “ammunition” but only allegation is “espionage”.
Perusal of the State Security Act, appears not to list possession of gold or “fake gold”, as an offence under the Act. Nor does the Act list possession of dollars, genuine or fake, guns, and ammunition, as an offence.
For avoidance of doubt, Section 3 provides as follows:
“Any person who, for any purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the Republic
(a) approaches, inspects, passes over, is in the vicinity of or enters any protected place;
(b) makes any sketch, plan, model or note or in any manner whatsoever makes a record of or relating to any thing which might be or is intended to be directly or indirectly useful to a foreign power or disaffected person;
(c) obtains, collects, records, publishes or communicates to any person any code, password, sketch, plan, model, note or other document, article or information which might be or is intended to be directly or indirectly useful to a foreign power or disaffected person; or
(d) without lawful excuse damages, hinders or interferes with, or does any act which is likely to damage, hinder or interfere with, any necessary service or the carrying on thereof;
shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a period of not less than twenty years but not exceeding thirty years.”
Or is it because the accused approached, inspected, or flew past or over the airport facilities, or parked their planes in the vicinity of or entered the presidential pavilion or its parking area?
Well, whatever happened, prima facie, this case is text-book example of the infamous traffic offence-cum treason case in Mongu in 2017.
Only time will tell.