THE RUNX, ALION & CANTER WORTH $400,000 CASH ?
By Miles B. Sampa, MP
I have always advocated for the former President ECL and the First Lady Ester Lungu to have a quiet and peaceful retirement with the status of Father and Mother of the Nation.
Other than ‘die hard’ cadres showering me insults for not showing up in Ibex apparently for soliderity, yesterday events made me sad in more ways than one. The $400,000 cash story and docket opening by the former first family niece accusing mama Esther of theft. She claims stolen were her cars namely a Runx, an Alion and a Canter that are potentially worth about $20,000 in total is most disheartening.
In reality I think Mama Esther did not steal the vehicles from her niece but was attempting to recover some value from the $400,000 cash that was entrusted with the niece but guess which she ‘misplaced’. It could have actually been safer for Mama Esther to have cut her losses and not pursued the recovery route with her niece.
Here it is now the niece has flipped to the police and we now all got to hear and know what we probably should have not heard on the family feud and money involved therein.
There is now more questions than answers around the $400,000 cash and more so on the source of the money. If case had to find it’s way in the courts of law, cross examinations I suspect would be centered around that. From where, when, and how questions. ‘Did you have a money lenders license from the Bank of Zambia to lend $400,000 cash to your niece?, ‘Why was the money not banked and what was the source?’ Etc etc
Takes me back to my earlier point or views on status of the former President and former First Lady. Undisputed that they both still loved by many of our citizens be it within and outside PF.
Equally as many citizens however do not wish them back into active things of politics or other activities as was yesterday that do preserve their status as father and mother of the nation.Their sustained good name is worth more than any amount of cash be it $400,000 that is now throwing shade on them.
Some betrayal from the niece but the bigger issue now the police likely docket opened that if goes to court maybe vs the people. Stealing of a motor vehicle real or perceived has a huge mark in Zambia’s political history in the Archie Matribouy and Michael Sata cases vs the people. It never ends well.
Family dispute should be resolved within family as once the police are called in to cite the penal code, it potential becomes way costly beyond the $400,000 cash may have been lost or ‘stolen’ by the niece.
I can only wish mama Esther well in this ordeal that could have been avoided in the first place had matter been kept and resolved within the family.
MBS04.05.2023
