By Staff Reporter
It’s not a crime under the laws of Zambia to receive money from companies and other well wishers, says PF national chairman Davies Chama.
Chama who was yesterday interrogated in his capacity as the former ruling party secretary general during the period 2016 when they are said to have received $3 million dollars from mining corporation, Glencore, said he was interrogated on the circumstances under which they used to receive the money and how they utilized it.
The ACC yesterday said they interrogated the former defence minister in connection with a matter in which money amounting to $3 million was paid to a named political party by Glencore International AG, that was operating the Mopani mine.
The commission indicated that investigations bordered on the circumstances under which the funds were paid by the said mining firm to a political party soon after which the firm exited Zambia under unfavorable terms to the government of Zambia.
Asked if it was true the PF received the said funds, Chama said every organization registered under the laws of Zambia receive money in terms of donations and contributions from companies, donors and well wishers.
“So what ACC did was to go to the Bank and get the statements,” he said to Daily Revelation Media.
But asked on the fact that the ACC stated that Glencore left the country under conditions that were not favorable to the government soon after the payments were made, Chama said it was ACC and not himself saying that.
“Did Glencore exit the mining in 2016?” Chama asked. “They are the ones insinuating. They must be professional. How can they start making insinuations in the midsts of investigations?”
Chama said the PF did not receive money from one source but many other well wishers.
“It’s not a crime to receive money from donors under Zambian law,” Chama said. “The current (bank) statement indicates the sender and the receiver. I will not tell you where we received money from. We received money from several donors.”
Chama described the move from the ACC as scare mongering tactics to scare away donors from contributing money to PF, saying such investigations must be extended to all the political parties including the ruling UPND.
