By Mubanga Mubanga
ACC chairperson Musa Mwenye has spoken out after having been sidelined from speaking at last Friday’s Anti-Corruption policy launch for insisting on investigations against government officials and for President Hakainde Hichilema to declare his assets.
In a statement, Mwenye welcomed the policy launch, urging technocrats in the UPND government who are entrusted with investigating and prosecuting corruption to investigate both past and present corruption cases.
In a statement seen by Daily Revelation yesterday, Mwenye stated that schemes of the corrupt, past and present, must not be allowed to rise above the forces that were fighting corruption in Zambia.
“The fight against corruption is a matter of patriotism and must always be viewed through non partisan lenses. All of us as citizens must insist that, those technocrats that are entrusted with the duty to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption should investigate ALL cases of corruption whether past or present,” Mwenye stated. “We must also be resolute to resist the schemes of the corrupt, whether past or present, to divide the forces that have arisen to fight past and present corruption.”
Commenting on the National Policy on Anti Corruption that was launched last Friday by President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka, Mwenye stressed that the President made it clear that the corrupt were thieves, and that in addition to recovering stolen assets, those who stole from Zambians must be prosecuted with a view to sending them to prison.
“This position has been echoed by the diplomatic community. The clarion call by the President is heartening and praise worthy and it will go a long way to help the fight against corruption,” Mwenye stated. “There is unanimity that recovering assets alone from the corrupt is not punishment enough especially considering that poor people who steal to feed their families are being sent to prison to face stiff sentences.”
Sources recently told the Daily Revelation that the Ministry of Justice sidelined Mwenye from speaking at the launch of the ACC Policy last Friday due to his insistence that the Commission must pursue corruption allegations against the serving senior government officials.
