DID HH EARN $14 MILLION?

…in controvesial lower Zambezi Park sale

HAKAINDE Hichilema has been challenged to explain his role in the controversial Lower Zambezi National Park sale to a mining firm from which he allegedly pocketed more than US $14 million, banked overseas.

Eastern Province Minister Makebi Zulu yesterday disclosed that the UPND president allegedly benefitted about US$ 14 million from the sale of Lower Zambezi National Park and challenged him to explain his role in the deal.

The project has been roundly condemned both locally and abroad. A petition has since been initiated to save the Lower Zambezi National Park have the sale reversed has been initiated. President Edgar Lungu, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mozambique’s Felipe Nyusi have been petitioned to intervene.

UPND Secretary-General Stephen Katuka has however defended Mr Hichilema, saying that as a Zambian, he was free to engage in any legal business.

He said that if indeed Mr. Hichilema pocked the money from a business transaction in the Zambezi Lower National Park, there was nothing wrong as long as it was done legally.

“You people you surprise me, don’t you get tired of talking about one person. Every morning you wake up, it is HH. Is HH not a Zambian who has the right to do business like any other citizen and moreover if indeed he benefitted from a business transaction in the lower Zambezi river, there was nothing wrong with that,’’ he said.

And Mr Zulu who is also Patriotic Front Malambo Member of Parliament said it is sad that the fight against corruption had been politicised by disgruntled political players.

Speaking at a PF interactive forum yesterday, Mr Zulu said Mr Hichilema and his minions had been quit on the happening at Lower Zambezi because he was the one who allegedly sold it and kept the money in the offshore accounts in Bahamas.

Mr Zulu challenged Mr Hichilema to come out in the open and clear the air that he was not involved in the sale of assets of lower Zambezi mine .

Mr Zulu said Mr Hichilema was exposed by the Paradise Paper to have been a Director of a Bermuda company known as AfNat Resources Limited which bought mining licenses at Zambezi Resource Limited.

He explained that Mr Hichilema’s AfNat Resources was incorporated in 2005 and explored for nickel and other metals in Zambia and other African countries.

Efforts to get Mr Hichilema failed as he was cutting the line. The line for UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma went unanswered.

He noted with sadness that some disgruntled political players had the guts of politicizing the issue of the mysterious 48 houses by accusing innocent Senior government officials when they have nothing to do with those houses.