17 December 2007
Ndola — THE Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has said it is anxious to know the position of the Task Force on Corruption on the settlement between the Zambian Government and Democratic Republic of Congo Katanga province governor, Moses Katumbi.
But chief Government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti, has said the settlement was final as the Government looked at the bigger picture when making the decision and that it was now too late for any reversal.
In a statement in Lusaka yesterday, LAZ honorary secretary, Musa Mwenye, said LAZ was anxious to know the position of the experts within the Task Force on Corruption, who would, hopefully, clarify the circumstances surrounding the settlement.
"We are anxious to know the position of the experts of the Task Force on Corruption on this matter and hope that they too will clarify the surrounding circumstances of this settlement," he said.
The Government and Mr Katumbi reached a settlement on the claims they had against each other in the interest of upholding friendly relations and diminishing the potential for conflict between the two countries.
But Mr Mwenye said LAZ was disappointed with the way the Government had handled the issue as the move may erode the fight against corruption.
Further, he said, the recent turn-around by the Government raised questions about the diligence with which the investigations were being carried out given past assurances by leaders that the prosecution would get a conviction against the suspect then.
Mr Mwenye urged the government to be more thorough in its future investigations before alleging criminal impropriety against individuals.
Mr Mulongoti, however, said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the Government considered the issue from a bigger perspective before coming up with the settlement.
He said that in the interest of having a good neighbouring nation, the Government had to go for the settlement adding that Katanga Province was important to Zambia economically.
He said it was too late for LAZ or any other stakeholders to complain now, wondering as to where the association had been all along when it could not come up with evidence or advice to help the Government achieve a conviction.
Mr Mulongoti said it was easier to criticise but asserted that the settlement was final as the decision could not be rescinded.
On LAZ contention that the move might send the fight against corruption into doubts, Mr Mulongoti said , there were currently many corruption cases being undertaken saying that was just one case.
He said Government was committed to the fight against corruption and called on stakeholders, like LAZ, to help in the clean up of society.
On the decision by Mr Katumbi to ban shipment of copper to Zambia, Mr Mulongoti said Government was still studying the reports to establish their factuality.
He said if it was established that the reports were true, the Government would, through established diplomatic channels, follow up the matter with authorities in that country.
Last week, First Quantum Minerals (FQM) president, Clive Newall said his company had been stopped from shipping copper concentrates from its frontier mine in the DRC into.
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