MY COMMITTEE AUTHORIZED THE PURCHASE OF PROPERTIES IN TURKEY – FORMER PS SIMWINGA
….says Hon Joseph Malanji was not involved
Lusaka… Wednesday, July 31, 2024
FORMER Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary for Administration Ronald Simwinga has admitted to having breached the guidelines contained in Cabinet Handbook, regarding the procurement of properties in Turkey.
And Mr Simwinga told the Lusaka Magistrates Court, Tuesday, that it was the ministerial procurement committee chaired by himself and comprising of Directors and two external members that approved the procurement of properties in Ankara.
He said as then Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon Joseph Malanji was not a member of the procurement committee and had no role whatsoever in the procurement process.
Meanwhile, the former PS disclosed that the need to procure properties for Zambian missions abroad existed long before Malanji was ever minister and that it was the committee he chaired as controlling officer, that equally approved the law firm and real estate agent to oversee the procurement in Ankara.
Mr Simwinga said his committee worked in correspondence with the late Ambassador to Turkey, Mr Joseph Chilengi.
He said they directed Mr Chilengi to sign the contract for the purchase of properties and proceed to pay two percent of the total purchase price immediately after signing because the committee was satisfied that funds were available to the Ambassador.
“Yes we knew that funds were available,” stated Mr Simwinga.
He was testifying in a matter where Hon Malanji and former secretary to treasury Fredson Yamba are charged with Ten counts of willful failure to comply with laid down procedures and possession of property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
And during cross examination, Mr Simwinga u-turned on his earlier testimony saying without any written instructions in official government directives as regulated by Cabinet Handbook, it can not be said that he received any instructions from Hon Malanji concerning the purchase of properties.
When Defense Counsel Makebi Zulu asked him “why does the regulation say you must refuse any irregular instruction in writing,” the former PS said “to keep a record.”
Mr Zulu then asked “what is a record for?” and the witness said “is that a question?” prompting a dramatic reaction from the learned Counsel who said “yes it is, you thought it was what? Potatoes?”
“In this case, we have no evidence or record to show that you refused the purported instruction in writing. If at all that happened, then you breached the regulation. And if you breached this regulation, you’re liable to prosecution. You breached the procedure,” remarked Counsel Zulu and Mr Simwinga responded in the affirmative.
The matter comes up on Friday, 2nd August 2024, for continued trial.
Most corruption in the civil service is done via PS’s whom the President appoints. These party cadres dont know anything about the proffesionalism of the civil service. They are there only to facilitate theft and other illegal actions of the government. Citizens have cried for the stopping of Presidential appointments to the civil service. The President should appoint people only to political posts. But in Zambia he appoints everyone. How can a democracy function like this?
Your committee? Is this man for real? This is a blant proof of collusion in the act of corruption