MCDONALD Chipenzi says failure to refund the State by some 2016 ‘illegal ministers and deputies’ is clearly contemptuous.
On December 7 last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that Ngosa Simbyakula and 63 others should refund the State for the illegal salaries and allowances they obtained when parliament was dissolved in 2016 ahead of the presidential and general elections.
The assessed amounts were to be paid within 30 days from the date of the ruling – meaning January 5, 2021 was the final day.
Chipenzi, the Governance, Elections, Advocacy, Research Services (GEARS) Initiative Zambia executive director, stated now that the pay back day is here, “citizens are anxious to, and observing with keen interest, see the compliance levels.”
He stated that it was clear that Edgar Lungu is the most despised President, where even his ministers were disregarding his directives to refund the State.
Chipenzi regrets that so far, public information indicated apathy insofar as paying back, as less than 20 out of 64 affected ministers have paid back.
“We saw immediately after the judgment that our ministers took to the press boasting [that] they would not honour the ruling,” Chipenzi said, in a statement. “The President also issued a statement advising the affected ministers to honour the judgment but still they are adamantly ignoring such directives. This is a clear contemptuous disregard of the court decision and that of President Edgar Lungu.”
He rallied Zambians not relent to claim back, from illegal ministers, what was due to them.
Chipenzi noted that contempt proceedings ought to be instituted against those who have not yet paid back to the State.
“This action will not be coated in mercy but brute and lethal. The 5th January 2021 is the last day for them to pay back after which we shall extract figures of who paid and not, [and] then we move to recover our money from the adamant [exministers] without mercy of how their families will suffer thereafter,” he stated. “Enough was given to them from 2016 to pay back and enough excuses have been advanced by them as a delaying tactic and citizens have exercised enough patience on the matter. It is now time to put enough pressure to get our money.”
Chipenzi stressed that: “we shall not be tired or fatigued in exploring and summoning all available avenues, including services of bailiffs.”