By Staff Reporter
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Director General Thom Shamakamba says he “reserves” his comment on investigations against Information permanent secretary Thabo Kawana, and told former Health permanent secretary Dr George Mangwende to “hung on” before asking to be cleared.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Shamakamba said people must not even accuse him of being fearful that he was more willing to divulge investigations against former leaders and fearful to divulge investigations against serving government officials, describing himself as a “quiet sniper” who was currently investigating very high profile [pp-logged-users] cases.
“You see this is investigation and where investigation is concerned if you are dealing with people who are sophisticated you start saying ‘oh we are investigating … will not just sit idle, he will start either buying people or doing all sorts of illegalities,” Shamakamba said.
Asked on formation that his commission is investigating Kawana, Shamakamba said: “I think I will reserve my comment.”
Shamakamba was asked, going by his response on very credible complaints from Zambians that his commission is too happy to disclose investigations against former leaders and those who have fallen out of favour with the government, rather than on investigations against serving government officials.
Responding, Shamakamba said it was unfair to ask him about Dr Magwende because he found the matter already running.
Dr Magwende has complained that no one has gotten in touch with him 14 months after he was fired from the Ministry of Health where he served as permanent secretary over assertions that he was involved in corrupt activities, which those at the ACC announced they were investigating. He has demanded that the ACC must clear him.
But Shamakamba said, Dr Magwende asking for clearance from him “was too much.”
“Let him wait until things are concluded. There are processes that we do in ACC, let him just wait. He has called me and I have just said I think hung on. Yes!” he said.
But asked on the investigations against Kawana again, Shamakamba claimed that he had already issued a statement on the matter.
“I know what you are looking for so that tomorrow it will be a headline, ‘DG confirms that blah blah blah blah.’ That is what you are looking for … But I will not succumb to your pressure boss,” he said, but was reminded that it was not about succumbing to the journalist’s pressure but providing information to Zambians. “Let me do my work. This is what I have been telling your people. Even the other time when you published the other people, they called me ‘oh can you confirm there is this story in our paper.’”
But put to him that he probably was just being fearful to divulge information about serving government officials, Shamakamba said ‘simantha baba (I am not fearful), I am investigating high profile people.”
“Why should I fear? I will not even mention. Fear who? When I was getting the job I knew what I was sacrificing. Yes! And don’t even make a mistake ati nimantha (that it’s fear), no, no, no, no, no,” Shamakamba said. “I am a quiet sniper. Don’t even make that mistake.”
But asked on assertions that the most his commission does when it comes to government officials was just announcing the investigations which usually don’t even get to court let alone secure convictions, Shamakamba disagreed with the assertion, saying, “let’s see where we are going, because I know there are issues which are on the table. So let us see where we are going.”[/pp-logged-users]
