OPPOSITION PETITION SPEAKER OVER OFFSHORE ACCOUNT HOLDERS

THE 3rd Liberation Movement (3rd LM) has petitioned the Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Matibini to consider expediting the due process of establishing a law that shall deter anyone holding offshore accounts to seek for political public office.

And Zambia Republican Party (ZRP) president, Wright Musoma has hailed Mr Tonga’s brevity, adding that leaders should not be allowed to deny the country of the much needed tax.

Both Mr Tonga and Mr Musoma told the Daily Nation in separate interviews that offshore tax havens were associated with corruption and mostly used by crooks. Mr Tonga explained that it was the reason he had decided to petition the Speaker to consider expediting the process of establishing a law that would ban anyone holding offshore accounts to seek political public office.

“Yes, I have written to the Speaker, as I am talking to you, I’m still at Parliament. We cannot have someone seeking political public office, hold offshore accounts.

A leader should have a heart for the country he claims to love and would want to work for. So why keep money in offshore accounts?” he questioned. Meanwhile, Mr Musoma said that a person who wants to be at the helm of the nation should not be allowed to be in the forefront denying the country of the much-needed tax. He said that money should be kept within the country so that it was ploughed back into the economy and for the nation to benefit tax.

Mr Musoma reiterated that offshore accounts were also associated with crookedness and that a person seeking to hold political public office should not be linked to such.