YOU CAN RUN BUT CAN’T HIDE
…let people clean themselves by explaining – Nalumango
By Ernest Chanda
VICE-PRESIDENT Mutale Nalumango says those who have cases against Zambians can run but they cannot hide.
During the Vice-President’s Question Time in parliament yesterday, leader of the opposition and Mporokoso PF member of parliament Brian Mundubile wondered if the new dawn government had abandoned the fight against corruption since President Hakainde Hichilema had started giving contracts to his friends.
“Your Honour the Vice-President, the Zambian people are concerned with the manner in which the President has started awarding contracts to his friends using single sourcing model of procurement. Something that he himself condemned previously, labeling it as corruption or abuse of office. The President of this country promised to govern this country using transparency and accountability. Madam Vice-President, the case in point is the recent engaging of Grant Thornton, a company in which the President has interest, and five other firms to audit domestic debt; an assignment that the office of Auditor General could have easily undertaken,” said Mundubile. “This is in addition to the earlier contracts of US $50 million to supply fertiliser, also awarded to his friend. Further, Madam Vice-President, the secondment of KPMG, a Mr Kazilimani as agent of [Konkola Copper Mines] KCM, also his friend, and another $100 million contract under the Ministry of Health to construct health facilities in three provinces namely Western, North-Western and Southern Provinces – a contract whose procurement was shrouded with secrecy. My question to you, Your Honour the Vice-President, with all these questionable transactions and dealings under the watch of the President who is awarding contracts to his friends, is your government still committed to the fight against corruption; whether past, present or future?”
In response, Vice-President Nalumabgo reaffairmed the government’s commitment to fighting the vice.
“…After all, my book (the Bible) says your sins shall find you out. You can run but you can’t hide. But if you are innocent, feel innocent. You’re innocent, no matter how much they follow you you will prove yourself innocent,” she said. “So, we are here to fight corruption, Madam [Speaker], to give an environment that will attract both local and foreign investment because they can do it well. You don’t have to pay anybody. That’s why we want regulatory bodies to work properly. Are we committed to fighting corruption? 100 per cent plus one committed…”
She said there was no secrecy in whatever the government was doing.
Vice-President Nalumango said some of the contracts Mundubile mentioned had in fact been cancelled.
“But whatever we are doing will be done. Although I hear him talk of secrecy, I don’t know which one. To bring the President in this matter today is extremely unfair. The President is a friend of all Zambians. So to start speaking of some Zambians as being friends and therefore they should not work, is very difficult,” she said. “What is important is to see that there is a transparent process that is followed by everybody. Some of these contracts you have mentioned are some of the issues that began some time [back]. For example, the medical ward you referred to, $100 million – something like that – that has already been cancelled. And just know that you can bring a case at a time and we will be able to explain to you. You can go to the ministries, you can go to those that give contracts, there must be proof of having done the right thing through the right procedures. Following our policies and the laws of our country. So, there is no deviating from the fight against corruption. People will be convicted that are found corrupt. That is all. Whether it is from here (Executive) or from there (opposition), the law will follow everybody.”
And Vice-President Nalumango said there was no malice in investigations the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) was carrying out regarding the 15 flats in Lusaka’s State Lodge area which belong to former first lady Esther Lungu.
This followed a question from Shiwang’andu PF member of parliament Stephen Kampyongo who accused the DEC of lacking professionalism by pretending that they did not know who the owner of the flats was.
“Your Honour the Vice-President, yes indeed we know that no one is above the law. And we are all equal [before] the law. Your Honour the Vice-President, last week the nation was treated to some kind of drama by one of the investigative wings, Drug Enforcement Commission to be specific -DEC- who informed the nation that a person going by the name of Esther Nyawa Tembo was linked to the property they had entered, and that this person had vanished. They didn’t know where this person was. The nation knows, Your Honour the Vice-President, that if we say Mutale Witika (Witner) before we put the other name, they will know that we are referring to Her Honour the Vice-President. They’ will know,” said Kampyongo as he was cautioned by Speaker Nelly Mutti against debating fellow members of parliament. “All I’m trying to say is that public figures, Madam Speaker, especially our mothers who have got acquired names from their marital status we can still identify them. That’s what I’m trying to say. And this case I’m talking about a very well-known name, Esther Nyawa Tembo, before we add the name acquired through her marital status. Your Honour the Vice-President, and I know you’re sitting next to the Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security who will be saying these matters are under investigations. Yes, but the matter is of public interest. What would you say this kind of insincerity coming from your investigative wings? They said they didn’t know this person when the whole nation knows that this Esther Nyawa Tembo, Mrs Lungu, is the former first lady. The question to Her Honour the Vice-President, Madam Speaker, is that, is this the way your government intends to treat the first former family [sic]? And is it one way of trying to get at the former president [Edgar Lungu] indirectly?”
In response, Vice-President Nalumango advised Kampyongo not to worry if he was innocent.
“There’s no malice in what is going on. The fact that a name is a name in our country, even though we don’t know another person – I don’t know another person with exactly my name – it is very possible that there is another person in this country with exactly your name,” she said. “I think it would be very dangerous if people just hear a name and they go, ‘I have heard this is your name, and you are the one who should answer’. A name by itself does not mean a specific individual because in our country we share names. This is the truth.”
She said no one could run away from the law, adding that everyone was equal before the law.
“And now that you know, then start dealing with the matter. You don’t have to… if they say they have vanished, I’m not aware. But there is nothing like vanishing. Nobody can vanish. You are in the country you will be found. And for them to say that it’s because they knew the person who is the rightful owner. Not of the name but of the property. Not of the name because there are other people with the same name,” said Vice-President Nalumango.
“Let us not say ‘is it an intention to reach who’, no. Nobody is targeting anybody. Nobody will come and just create, for example, something and say, ‘Chilombo you are the one’. You’ll prove yourself. Who do you want to be followed, me? I’ve nothing. I am not carrying any animal on my shoulder or anything. So, let people clean themselves by explaining. Now that you know, I am sure they are having an interaction to clear issues. There is nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with that, colleagues. When you are now followed, just go and explain. If there is no issue, there is no issue. But we can’t say ‘don’t talk about me or the name is similar. Then we will not move. When you are cleared, I’m sure you feel lighter than to go in hiding trying to imagine that people are following you. Let the cases be dealt with properly. The name does not really mean an individual living at a particular time. No one is above the law… all of us are under the law.”
On Thursday, Esther failed to turn up before the DEC for questioning in relation to her acquisition of 15 single storey houses in State Lodge.
According to her lawyers Makebi Zulu Advocates, Esther could not be brought before the DEC’s anti-money laundering unit to explain how she acquired the properties which are suspected to be ill gotten because she was communicated to at short notice.
Zulu sent another lawyer James Tembo to drop a letter before the Commission, asking it to defer the interrogation to next week Tuesday at 11:00 hours.
On Wednesday, in a letter of demand to DEC director general Mary Chirwa dated 6th July 2022, through her lawyer Zulu, Esther accused the commission of having trespassed on the property.
“If your office has been diligent enough to conduct an elementary search at the Ministry of Lands, you would have concluded that our client owns the property instead of embarking on a media stint which in our view is intended to impute wrongdoing on the party of our client in relation to the said properties especially that you state that DEC has taken over property that is believed to have been abandoned and draw a conclusion that, ‘whoever the owner is, may be running away from something’,” reads the letter in part. “Ours informs us that she acquired the said properties in about 2015 and the said properties have been there from the said time. The properties sit on four titles and the same are in her name. The said titles are attached for your ease of reference. Ours takes great exception to the said conduct and demands that you forthwith leave the property failing which we have instructions to take out process against yourselves. By copy of this letter, you are accordingly put to notice.”