Source: Kwacha Celebrity Newspaper

National Democratic Congress (NDC) godfather Guy Scott says serving and former ministers who  unconstitutionally stayed in office  when  parliament dissolved   have no choice but to give  back  what they the Zambian people, a position that is in conflict with his NDC colleague  Chishimba Kambwili, who has adamantly refused to pay back.

And Governance Activist Leslie Chikuse  says it is disappointing that Kambwili, the man who is aspiring for presidency and a  Chief Government Spokesperson at a time  the  offense  was committed is in the forefront, refusing to pay  back the money.

Dr Scott was reacting to Dr Kambwili who has publicly  refused to pay back the money after the ruling by the  Constitutional Court.

Kambwili said   he was not going to pay back the money no matter what circumstance because he was mislead by President Edgar Lungu who allowed them to continue staying in office illegally.

Kambwili said it is President Lungu who is supposed to pay  back to the poor Zambian people because as a  lawyer, he  knows the interpretation of the  constitution very well but  chose to mislead them(serving and former ministers) for his selfish ambition.

But Dr Scott said the Constitutional Court  ruling is very clear that  former ministers a must  pay back  what they owe the Zambian people.

He expressed disappointment that Ministers continued   drawing salaries and allowances illegally when parliament dissolved to pave way for the 2016 elections.

“Well, the Constitutional Court ruling on the matter was very clear. Both former and serving ministers are supposed to pay back what they owe the Zambian people,” Dr Scott said.

When he served as acting President,  after the demise of President Michael Sata,  Dr Scott was applauded for   saving tax payers money from being abused in  the Patriotic Front(PF)  campaigns.

Realizing that Zesco , like many other companies  are    often vulnerable to financial abuse  during election  campaign periods by  successive  ruling parties, Dr Scott circulated  letters to palastatal heads, warning them of  dismissals  if they released money to assist the PF campaigns.

This  however, made Dr Scott unpopular to his colleagues in the PF who viewed his financial discipline as a stumbling block.

And Mr Chikuse said it is unfortunate that Kambwili who has Presidential ambitions openly refused to pay back the money.

He said Kambwili is not a person people should give an opportunity to rule Zambia because he does not take responsibility of his wrong doing  and he acts of emotions.

Mr Chikuse recalled that when he insulted the Tongas at the climax of the 2016 elections, Kambwili blamed the powers of darkness, saying he  was tormented by evil spirit and that  after being found wanting by the Constitutional Court, he is pointing the  accusing finger figure at   President  Lungu.

“The Court should take honourable Chishimba Kambwili’s statement, that he is not going to pay back our money seriously. What he said is tantamount to contempt of Court,”  he  said.

And Mr Chikuse who is also RPP vice president said President Lungu can  save his face for knowingly or unknowingly misleading his ministers when he allowed them to continue executing their duties by firing them from cabinet.

” Those ministers are not worth to be called honourable because there is  nothing honourable about people who loot poor people’s money.

Other than illegally  drawing salaries and allowances, they  must have plundered state coffers to secure their future because there was anxiety that  PF was not going to be voted back to  office” Chikuse said, ” The right thing the President can do is to fire these ministers. They have no legal rights to continue in office,” he said.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) National Women Chairlady Namakau Kabwiku has demanded for  cabinet ministers to start paying back money to the treasury now.

Mrs.Kabwiku said that failure to which the women in the party will effect citizen arrest by engaging the baillifs to pounce on each one of them.

On Friday last week, the Constitution Court ordered cabinet ministers to pay back back to the national treasury,salaries and allowances they got whilst parliament was dissolved.

And  Mrs.Kabwiku said that she expected (President) Lungu to call for a cabinet meeting to discuss the matter so that it will not take a month or a year for the ministers to pay back the money.

“As UPND women, we are saying,ministers must pay back the money or else we will send baillifs to pounce on you. If they delay we will effect citizen arrest empowered in us on each one of them,” she stated.

Mrs Kabwiku further urged Mr.Lungu to fire ministers and the country can go for a bye -election.

“Mr.Lungu for heaven’s sake your ministers are found with a case by the court, don’t allow them to continue in office, fire and then we will have bye-election,” she said.