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MUSOKOTWANE Says ” Am NOT A THIEF As Allegedy By SATA”
Musokotwane
IT is wrong to target individuals for public policy initiatives undertaken by the MMD government because these were implemented after due government process.
Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane said all agreements under investigations were concluded after the normal consultation and legal procedure.
Mr. Musokotwane who is former Finance Minister said he was not a thief plotting to defraud the Zambian government as portrayed by President Michael Sata in the sale of Zamtel and tax deferment on Varun Enterprises.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Dr. Musokotwane said it was unfortunate that the PF government had decided to label the previous regime corrupt in the manner they conducted national business.
He said President Sata was doing this with the purpose of misleading the people of Zambia into believing that the MMD regime ran a cartel to defraud government of billions of Kwacha by giving Varun Enterprises tax deferment and in the sale of Zamtel to LapGreenN of Libya.
“The government is elected to make decisions and in this particular case an application was received and reviewed by the ministry of commerce trade and industry before it came to my ministry and was again reviewed by relevant officers and made recommendations and I acted in the manner the professionals made recommendations and finally the opinion from the Attorney General and the minister of Justice,” said Dr. Musokotwane.
Dr. Musokotwane said the persecutions targeted at selected MMD members were political hunting aimed to weaken the opposition before 2012 to pave way for another disastrous period of governance.
“This is political witch hunting by the PF and they have chosen to start with me. There is a lot of intense focus on me. But it will not end with me it will end with others as well. From me the PF will be moving step by step to the next target. It is not that I sat alone colluding doing something strange outside this world, it was the normal government process that we used,” he said.
He said the people of Zambia should judge him from his track record that has been established in so many years he had served in government and not from the political witch-hunt by the PF administration.
Dr. Musokotwane said he had served in four Presidents starting from Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, Dr. Frederick Chiluba, Dr. Levy Mwanawasa and President Rupiah Banda in various senior government positions where his track record was clear to see.
He appealed to the people of Zambia to understand that the things being said about him were total politicking by President Sata and his government because they were being economical with the truth.
Dr. Musokotwane said it won’t be long before the truth comes out because he had nothing to hide as he had acted in good faith by following both cabinet decisions and the legal opinion on all the transactions government conducted.
“This will not send any economic gains to people intending to invest in the Zambian economy. When you look at ZANACO, it was privatised during the late Mwanawasa’s regime under Magande. It was a good decision because the Bank was on the verge of collapsing. If we had allowed the Bank to collapse all those people working for ZANACO would have lost jobs, there would be economic chaos in the nation,” he said.
Dr Musokotwane has since advised President Sata and the PF government to learn from the past mistakes which led to the collapse of the Zambian Airways.
“I hoped that people would have leant from the mistakes we made with the Zambian Airways because Zambian Airways was bleeding and we ended liquidating it and today we don’t have a national airline. On the other hand our colleagues the Kenyans when they saw their airline bleeding they looked for a strategic partner the Dutch airline and today the company is alive,” he said.
He said strategic business partnership with foreign complaints should be embraced and not damaged to increase synergy and improve performance.
daily nation
Posted by
Rupiah Banda
February 1, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Musokotwani is a thief, he is the mastermind of everything. Arrest Him & i wil testify against him.
Letti Matabane
February 1, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Things hv changed bo Musokotwane. U r guilt until the court proves u innocent so 4 now kip quiet & wait 4 the law 2 take its course
Search
February 1, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Where are we going as country
Alufeyo
February 1, 2012 at 2:33 pm
ala iwe kamusokotwane, so you mean even the money that was burried by Liato had gone through the legal process. what about bokosis’ son, did he also use ligitimate means to acquire those billions in his account? why is kahenry then running from pillar to post? please why kant you just wait for the courts of Law to vindicate you? so in conclusion you mean that what the commissions of enquiry are doing is mere politiking?
alien
February 1, 2012 at 2:43 pm
pliz mr musokotwane do not be bothered by the presidents diarrhoaic utterances it is his style of leadership.He thinks everybody around him is a thief.According to psychology want u ar is often extended to others.In this case the presido is a …..and now thinks everybody is like him.
chanda ponda
February 1, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Pipo why do u complain if some one is innocent ll b cleared no one has ben jailed 4 being innocent.if u want corruption 2 end expect more investigations not singing
master
February 1, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Musokotwane,what about those bicyles they found.was the legal process followed??
Snr.citizen
February 1, 2012 at 3:13 pm
My brother just enjoy your meals, do not be bothered and have BP for nothing you were just doing your job. Those who stole the money are failing to stay in one position ba ye kwa South Africa ki mo baya kwa Kenya au ni chani. If you are being implicated to have stolen something wait the law will visit u. Do not protect or fear any one, just tell the truth for you to be free whoever misused the government resources will tell us how he/she used our money.
Analyst
February 1, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Be strong you will overcome
mwela
February 1, 2012 at 3:28 pm
only time will tell, even liato claims he is inocent!
but why not just shut up and wait for law to determine?
Observer
February 1, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Pronouncing someone guilty before investigations is not good. Someone can end up being victimized like I am seeing with Mr Musokotwane. Government is influencing this case and this is not good. PF will one day leave government and is this the way they want to be hunted? Musokotwane did his job. What about the other ministries involved because he could not have made those decisions alone with approval from Zda, cabinet and ministry of justice. Why him alone and not the others. This looking more like a personnel vandator than a corruption fight? We are interested in development and we are still waiting for it. Maybe the opposition is right, PF has no plan for this country.
mbeba the student
February 1, 2012 at 3:33 pm
i forgot one thing, iwe kachicolor kamusokotwane! you kant be trusted, just recently you misled the nation by saying no money was ever printed, only to discover that infact BOZ did print more money. so what do you want us to believe about you Liar. you are dealing with someone who s allergic to corruption so just start preparing to be in jail with you fellow thugs, Kupya milomo, Bokosi, and many others. you thought you would be in government forever? olo nikuba uko, kuchita kutegelato mabillion. ok why is Henry running, and why has mwale lost his bu MP ship? you mean he followed the Law? wapya munzi ivo vimasilu. vimenso fyoko. mwanya lelo!
Phill
February 1, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Just arrest the fools
Mwandini
February 1, 2012 at 3:39 pm
The problem with the Varun contract is that Musokotwane supplied thousands if not millions of building blocks for the construction of he Pepsi plant. Clearly, there is a serious conflict of interest here. He awards tax relief (through due process as he claims) and he becomes the sole supplier of building blocks to the company that has been given such a relief. Something smells fishy here! He will of course say he does not run the company that makes blocks – but surely are we all children not to see this kind of games play out? Did he declare interest? Let the courts make decisions on some of these things.
mary
February 1, 2012 at 3:41 pm
can the government find out who this @@alien is using such language against the peoples president. l will also find out, pipo should learn to criticise positively not insults. even cafes have cameras!we will get u!!
Greg Kadimba
February 1, 2012 at 3:50 pm
If Musokotwane is not a thief,then lets remove the word “thief” from the English dictionary because no one will qualify to be called a theif
janet c
February 1, 2012 at 4:26 pm
He just ‘helped himself’ to public resources!! What a dimwit and shame on you Musokotwane, now you are finnished profesionally
Mungoma
February 1, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Dr. Musokotwane, decisions and actions taken with integrity and with the public interest at heart, while in public office, cannot surely be doubted or questioned.
The question really is: Were yours and those of Bwezan Rupiah Banda of that genre?
MUNYELO PWETE!
February 1, 2012 at 5:30 pm
BO MUSOKOTWANE, IF YOU ARE NOT A THIEF, THEN YOU ARE A STOLER!!!HIHIHIHIHIHI…..EHEE!
Ibrahim Patel
February 1, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Why did you fail to protect our resources? Only thieves can do that. You want us to thank you for that? Sorry!!!
neto
February 1, 2012 at 7:37 pm
We know you are innocent. This witchhunt is driving me crazy.
neto
February 1, 2012 at 7:38 pm
people spearheading this are the most corrupt chaps.
HH Machende
February 1, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Unfortunately for you bwana Musokotwane, Tax law is very well settled, you messed up and you have to face the consequences, you may not have benefitted cash wise other than materially in terms of bicycles and also that exclusive business opportunity of supplying blocks to Varun but that is as far as your innocence lies, you allowed this company to charge consumers VAT and keep it, that is criminal!!!!
Dollar ya sila
February 1, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Waona manje. we told you that chiwamila galu kuluma mbuzi. When you were in power you thought those complaining were fools, now you are feeling the other side of s coin.
ndikalombwana kachende
February 1, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Ba musokotwane tabaibile ba bulile fye. fool
War
February 1, 2012 at 8:56 pm
I think he should just keep quiet or is he the spokes person for all the other plunderers?
tom maatomola
February 1, 2012 at 9:34 pm
its true pf has no plan for this country apart from redemaketing already exssisting bounderies of some districts and hunting for pipo said to been corrupt
NKANDU
February 2, 2012 at 2:53 pm
IWE MUSOKOTWANI,MMD GOVT IS SUREY GUILT B,CA– USE OF LIATO,BICYCLES, NCHINGA SHA MOOTO,HENLY ETC.