PROBE PRIVATISATION MYSTERY - MUKOSA
...benefits illegally earned from the privatisation should be given back to Zambians.
THE mystery surrounding the privatisation of state-owned companies needs to be probed so that any wrong dealings can be exposed, Chinsali Member of Parliament Kalalwe Mukosa has said.
And a PF official and former Mandevu constituency secretary, Lemmy Bwalya has urged the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to stop applying the law selectively.
According to the MP, benefits illegally earned from the privatisation exercise should be given back to Zambians.
Mr Mukosa said suspicion of illegal dealing by individuals who were entrusted to dispose of national assets cannot wither without an investigation.
He said in an interview that it was imperative to ascertain whether some people illegally benefitted or not so that the issue could be closed once and for all. Mr Mukosa said equally if indeed people benefitted illegally, the law must take its course.
He urged investigative wings to unmask the mystery surrounding the privatisation of state properties by launching a serious investigation into the matter.
Mr Mukosa said public concerns on the privatisation process and how some people ended up being shareholders in the properties they were entrusted to dispose of should not be given a blind eye.
“These concerns are very serious and should not be given a blind eye. Obviously it cannot hurt for our investigative wings to look into the matter and check whether these concerns are valid. This will help bring closure to this matter,” he said.
Mr Mukosa said the Patriotic Front was a pro-poor party and that it would not allow a few people to amass wealth at the expense of the general citizenry.
Meanwhile, Mr Bwalya observed that the investigative wings were targeting certain classes of people when it came to prosecution when they were several people breaking the law with impunity.
He pointed out some traffic police officers, civil servants and opposition party officials were engaging in corrupt activities in broad day light but were being given a blind eye by ACC and DEC.
According to official copies of documentation from the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) as well as Zambia Privatisation Agency (ZPA), the sale of the Intercontinental Hotel Livingstone and the Rainbow Lodge selected the lowest bid by Sun International Ltd.
The ZPA documents show that competing bids of $20 million ( Victoria Falls Travel Bureau), $10 million (Stocks and Stocks Ltd.), and $9.4 million (Marassa Holdings Ltd) were rejected instead choosing the lowest bid of $5.65 million by Sun International of South Africa.