CHISHIMBA Kambwili has washed his hands off the closure of Post Newspapers Limited in 2016 and the PF government’s Topstar deal which saw the acquisition of a US$232.1 million loan from Exim Bank of China through Star Times without a repayment plan just before the August 2016 elections.

At the time of the two events, Kambwili was information minister, a portfolio he retained even after the August elections but was fired in November, two months after his appointment by President Edgar Lungu.

However, Kambwili, the Roan PF member of parliament has now accused President Lungu of being at the centre of the Topstar deal, saying the Head of State had instructed then acting permanent secretary to discontinue the tendering process so that the digital migration exercise is single-sourced to Star Times.

Through the deal, Star Times now has a majority stake in ZNBC, the national broadcaster.

On The Post closure, Kambwili claimed he was not part of it.

Speaking on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme yesterday, Kambwili said his earlier remarks that he would deal with The Post did not imply that it would be closed.

“The Post was not closed when I was minister, the Post was closed when I left,” Kambwili claimed, despite the newspaper being closed on June 21, 2016 when the Roan member of parliament was information minister. “I don’t think it’s right to close a publication or private media; I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. Yes, there are ways of dealing with an institution, not closure. I told you media houses are supposed to act within the law and when they act outside the law, the ultimate is not closure. It’s to make sure that you correct them, discipline is not meant to kill people, it’s meant to teach people, deter them from committing a similar offence. So The Post Newspaper was not closed when I was minister, it was closed after I had left.”

After closure on June 21, 2016, The Post was sent into liquidation on November 2 by lawyer Lewis Mosho using five ex-employees. At the time, Kambwili was still information minister and chief government spokesperson until his dismissal the same month.