By Patson Chilemba
You can’t compel me to disclose who I am investigating, says Anti-Corruption Commission director general Tom Shamakamba.
Economic Front (EF) leader Wynter Kabimba has written Shamakamba threatening him with court action if he fails to disclose the nature of the investigations against Solicitor General Marshal Muchende, as the commission has chosen to remain silent against public demands for the Commission to confirm the investigations as they often do especially when it involves opposition and former leaders.
Reacting to the same, Shamakamba said the law is very clear “bakalamba.”
“What does the law say? Can you compel me to disclose what I am investigating?” Shamakamba asked.
But put to him that Kabimba, like many others was simply challenging the commission to tell Zambians about the nature of their investigations since it was a senior public official said to be involved in the matter, Shamakamba said: “So to say we are investigating you, you stole a chicken? Is that how investigators, even you Mr Chilemba, that’s the way we should be doing? ‘We are investigating you that you stole a chicken?’ You should be publishing what we are investigating you about?”
Told that the silence from the commission is fueling the debate as the person the commission is said to be investigating is a senior government official, and was asked why he simply could not state the commission’s position about a matter that has raised so much public debate in the country, Shamakamba said: “Look, there are many people we are investigating. There are many people we are investigating.”
“And Mr Muchende is among them?” Daily Revelation retorted, but Shamakamba insisted: ” There are many people we are investigating. The issue is there are many people we are investigating.”
But asked what the problem was with just mentioning who the commission is investigating, Shamakamba insisted: “Boss, I have answered you that there are many people we are investigating.”
State House sources have told Daily Revelation that the ACC is investigating Muchende and have placed a restriction order on his house for allegedly receiving over US$500,000 from a named former liquidator, but that there was pressure from powerful forces in the UPND to abort the investigation.
