Name and suspend ministers under ACC probe – TI-Z
By Fanny Kalonda (The Mast)
TRANSPARENCY International Zambia has called on Anti-Corruption Commission to disclose the names of ministers being investigated because Zambians deserve to know.
TI-Z executive director Maurice Nyambe has since urged President Hakainde Hichilema to take swift action and suspend all ministers currently being investigated to pave way for the investigations without hindrances.
He said in a statement that such an action is what will demonstrate the UPND administration’s commitment that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.
“While we commend the commission for being open enough to confirm that some ministers are being investigated, we totally disagree with the idea of not naming them because it plays into the narrative that the commission is selective in how it is handling corruption investigations. We note that the ACC has had no trouble in the past revealing that certain current and former government officials are or have been under investigation: the Solicitor General Mr Marshal Muchende, former minister of foreign affairs Mr Stanley Kakubo, the Mayor of Livingstone Ms Constance Muleabai, and several government officials from the previous regime have all had their investigations fully announced by the ACC in the past, and we do not therefore understand why current serving ministers should get special treatment in that regard,” Nyambe said. “TI-Z therefore urges the ACC not to give any inclination of being biased in how they handle their investigations as doing so will not do much to build public confidence in the commission’s ability to fight corruption in an impartial manner. We therefore strongly urge them to go public about which ministers are in fact being investigated as we are convinced that the Zambian public deserves to know. Rather than worry about the status of the few ministers being investigated the commission will do well to demonstrate its impartiality and consistency in handling such investigations, which will endear it in a more positive light in the eyes of the people of Zambia.”
Nyambe said if the President suspended ministers under investigations it would allow for the conduct of an investigation to be free from any potential interference that could occur through the said ministers’ continuation in office.
“On the same score, we wish to urge President Hakainde Hichilema to take swift action and suspend all ministers currently being investigated by the ACC in order to pave way for the investigations to proceed without any potential hindrances. As we have always reiterated whenever we make such a call, the President taking such action would not be a confirmation of the ministers’ guilt because they enjoy the presumption of innocence as provided in article 18 of the Constitution. Rather it would allow for the conduct of an investigation free from any potential interference that could occur through the said ministers’ continuation in office. Depending on the outcome of the investigations, those who are cleared can then have their suspensions lifted accordingly,” he said. “It is our view that the President, being the appointing authority, must take decisive action by suspending the ministers being investigated pending the outcome of those investigations. Such action is what will demonstrate in a real and meaningful way the UPND administration’s commitment that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption, which commitment currently appears to be the same verbal rhetoric we have seen in the past.”
Nyambe said the government should be in the forefront of demonstrating that the fight against corruption is being carried impartially.
“TI-Z is cognisant of the different dynamics and challenges associated with the fight against corruption, but we remain convinced that the ACC and government in general must be at the forefront of demonstrating that this fight is being waged impartially and without any fear or favour. There should be no compromise in that respect,” said Nyambe. “Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) wishes to commend the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for continuing with their quarterly briefings to give the general public updates on what is transpiring in the anti-corruption arena, and to allow journalists to engage them on those issues. In their last update last week on Thursday 25th July 2024, the ACC through their deputy director general Mrs Monica Chipanta-Mwansa announced that some cabinet ministers are currently being investigated for corruption, but stopped short of naming them in order to protect the ministers’ status and the integrity of the ACC investigations.”