KAMBWILI WOULD HAVE GOTTEN LIGHTER SENTENCE IF HE HUMBLED HIMSELF BEFORE SIMUSAMBA, SUGGESTS MOONGA…contradicting Chanda’s statement that PF will not comment because Kambwili ‘is our brother’
By Patson Chilemba
Ruling PF officials have contradicted themselves over the conviction of Chishimba Kambwili, with Sunday Chanda saying they had no comment to make as he was their brother, but Paul Moonga suggested that Kambwili would have gotten a lighter sentence if he humbled himself before magistrate David Simusamba.
And Lusaka provincial chairperson Moonga said the imprisonment of NDC leader Kambwili should teach public officials to always do the right thing whenever they hold office.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the conviction and 12-month imprisonment of Kambwili by Simusamba over the forgery case he was facing, PF media director Chanda said the ruling party had no comment to make over the matter as Kambwili was “our brother.”
“No comment. We are not commenting on it. He’s our brother so we are not commenting. The comment is that we are not commenting he’s our brother,” said Chanda.
But Moonga said the conviction should send a message to those holding power to be very careful as a people.
“When we get power power should not go to the head. We should always humble ourselves and whatever we do as people we must be honest because there is nobody above the law. It doesn’t matter which position you had in society,” Moonga said. “Anybody is prone to go to prison and even when you are guilty, you are found guilty, it’s not good for us as people to start fighting with the judiciary, that’s a different place. The judiciary is not a good place you can’t mess up with judges.”
On arguments that the conviction fits into President Edgar Lungu and PF’s grand scheme to eliminate opposition using state institutions, Moonga said the PF did not forge on Kambwili’s behalf.
“Did Patriotic Front forge on his behalf? Forgery is forgery…so my brother Mr Kambwili if I was him was to simply say I’m sorry, what I was doing was this and this and ABCD than want to accuse the magistrate of being what and so forth, this magistrate will be unfair to me. You must look at the reality that here I was wrong,” Moonga said. “Yes I changed these documents on behalf of ABCD. I am very sorry. Even when passing judgement the judges they will look at how remorseful you are. Our judiciary men are very good and honest. We need to be remorseful as people before the bench. Now the moment you want to show off that you are ABCD it becomes disaster to your side.”
Moonga suggested that the judiciary was very good and if one showed remorse they could be sentenced according to how they presented themselves.
He said he had seen even traffic police officers give a pass to traffic offenders who spoke to them respectfully, but they did not take nonsense from those who wanted to show off.
“You ask somebody do you know who I am azakufaka muma cells. So if you humble yourself you find in your judgment even the people who are judging you (they will say) ‘this man has been very cooperative, yes he did this. They might even give you suspended sentence depending on how you have been presenting yourself,” Moonga said. “Now if you want to become a champion in court as if you are in parliament that’s not parliament. That is court. In parliament even parliament as well there are rules you can be removed from parliament.”
Moonga said the conviction should be a lesson starting from himself and those in public office that they were not immune from prosecution.
“All of us any time we should check our steps and do right things at the right time. But if you make a mistake you must be able to say here I erred. So I am very sad for my young brother Chishimba Kambwili that he now finds himself in the jukes. All I hope and pray is that he will remain healthy and strong and that also it becomes a turning point,” Moonga said. “The prison can reform people so I hope when you go in prison you come out a reformed person. That’s another issue.”
Asked if Kambwili’s imprisonment meant one opponent sorted out, Moonga dismissed Kambwili as a serious opponent to the ruling party.
“Chishimba Kambwili has never been an opponent to PF, he has never been an opponent he’s just a noise maker. How can you call Chishimba Kambwili an opponent? And it’s sad we are not celebrating. I feel so sorry for his family, his wife and children that their bread winner is
-Daily Revelation