By Patson Chilemba
Kabushi member of parliament Bowman Lusambo says It is a joke and petty to arrest people in Zambia over K10 million or $700,000, saying the only time public resources were abused was during the privatisation period.
And Lusambo said he will work towards abolishing the law on proceeds of crime, warning that the ACC would also visit President Hakainde Hichilema after his time in office that his New Kasama house is “proceeds of crime.”
Lusambo further charged that he is aware of the many properties some ACC officials have around the country, asserting that the commission should tell the nation where the $8000 had gone to, which he claimed to have gone missing at the “UPND Kulima Tower branch (ACC head offices).”
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Lusambo described the arrest of Kwacha member of parliament (PF) Malanji for being in possession of the K10 million and $700,000 reasonable suspected to be proceeds of crime, as a joke.
“It’s a joke. It’s a joke. Go back to Malanji’s history. Malanji has been a businessman for quite some time. He just joined politics in MMD under Rupiah Bwezani Bwanda. We went into Chifubu election where Ng’ambi stood and madam Kawandami. Malanji was the main sponsor of that by-election for honourable Ng’ambi in Chifubu constituency,” Lusambo said. “Malanji shifted actually from Kitwe to Ndola he was staying st Savoy Hotel. So I am very shocked when people talk about Malanji’s money. Malanji was one of the people who were driving Mercedes when it was not fashionable. Even this ACC when they are going to people to arrest, first of all let them do the due diligence. For example if Malanji has been working from 1990 up to today, if he feels to buy a helicopter, what is wrong with that?”
Amplifying on the matter, Lusambo said just the fact that people were being arrested over K10 million and $700,000 was a joke
“It’s a joke, it’s a joke. Instead of encouraging people to work hard because if it was a normal government they would tell Malanji, ‘Malanji work hard. How manny workers do you have? Make sure that you employ more workers. We are going to support you with more businesses because we have seen that you are very consistent in you business’,” Lusambo said. “You have been paying tax, so we want your business to survive so that you can pay more workers, you can employ more workers. But us now it’s to kill. How do you expect to develop as a country? And why is is that we are too petty as a country. We have become a country of pettiness. How? Why?”
Lusambo said the ACC must be arresting people on matters bordering on government resources, unlike now “when your father gave you K20, just because the ACC were not there, it is proceeds of crime.”
He argued that there was no time when those who are being arrested are said to have stolen public money.
“If there is a time when money missed in this country is a time of privatisation. People stole during privatisation, ama company were run down. The entire country, including our beloved Zambia Airways. That time people stole the money for the country, not now naimwe. Where are they stealing the money?” Lusambo asked. “If they are saying people are stealing, look at the president’s wealthy, they are saying the President has more animals but ba President nikwisa babombele eko bengapanga shilya impiya (where did the President work to have accumulated all that wealth). Oh the President worked here gratuity was like this.’”
Lusambo said as opposed to arresting people, they must be encouraged to make money so that money remain in Zambia.
“You can’t tell me that Malanji can fail to have $700,000. How? Malanji! Ninshi nibanani bakakwata impiya mu chalo sure (then who is going to have money in this country)?” he asked.
He railed against the charge talking about proceedings of crime.
“And this thing of saying proceeds of crime, proceeds of crime it is just bringing more division in our country and the ACC they are being used to divide the country. And very soon that law is supposed to be repealed because the ACC they have no capacity to investigate and come up with concrete, to prove the proceeds of crime. The proceeds of crime actually came in during Mwanawasa’s time when Task Force was initiated. This law is archaic,” Lusambo said. “That we can take up (to repeal the law), yes! Because it is not adding any value to the country. It is not adding any value to the country. They will start now coming in people’s homes. They see a nice car in your home Patson, they will come and tell you we are picking this car because it is suspected to be proceeds of crime.
“So even the ministers who are there today, even the President when he retires from presidency, the ACC will go to New Kasama to tell him that this house here it is proceeds of crime. Okay? They will do that. You know in Africa and Zambia in particular whatever you are seeing is a political fight.”
Asked on information that he was summoned around the same time former president Edgar Lungu’s political advisor, Kaizar Zulu, but he has since been arrested while Zulu had yet to appear before the investigative wings over assertions “there were some new developments”, Lusambo responded while laughing that he was not aware about that, saying he was mostly concerned about how officials at ACC wanted to turn the commission into a “UPND branch.”
“And that’s how they want to turn ACC into UPND UPND Kulima Tower branch. If they don’t like Bowman they go to them, oh Bowman has got 100 houses…they will call you without verification and they will arrest you based on rumors and the people who are going there are UPND cadres, because the acting director is a UPND cadre,” Lusambo said. “He has turned himself into a UPND cadre because he really wants that job of Director General, and he is not fit to be Director General because there are other senior officers there at ACC who are capable and more qualified than him to be Director General. He is trying to impress his pay master by doing the wrong things.”
Lusambo said he wondered who told the ACC that Zambians should not own properties.
“Who told him that when you have a house then it is proceeds of crime when themselves have properties in Silverest, in others areas of this town and they are saying proceeds of crime. Are they telling me that even the properties which they have is proceeds of crime.” Lusambo asked. “Now the entire nation now they are all criminals because I know that people in this country they have properties. They sell properties, they acquire properties. Just because you are in government you are not supposed to acquire a property. It is very unfortunate. So this ACC you see today they lack morals and they are working to please their master, which is very dangerous because they are destroying that institution.”
“We want also to tell them that we have been told that there was money which went missing from ACC safe. We have been told that there is money, let them tell us. The information which is coming which is all over, I don’t if it’s $8000 plus went missing in ACC. And we want to know how that money went missing. That is the thing which is all over. People are saying money went missing at ACC. People are saying ACC officers they have houses in Silverest and there areas and they are saying let them tell us how they built those houses..we need officers with morality and who can work above pressure.”
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