THE MMD leadership on the Copperbelt has suspended Kafulafuta member of Parliament George Mpombo with immediate effect.

Provincial chairperson, Joseph Chilambwe said in an interview yesterday that Mr Mpombo had been suspended for bringing the name of the party into disrepute.

Mr Chilambwe said it was important to realise that Mr Mpombo was not working for the party and that was why he had continued issuing undesirable statements.

He charged that Mr Mpombo had already joined the Patriotic Front/United Party for National Development pact and that the only reason he had clinged to the MMD was to preserve his parliamentary gratuity.

Mr Chilambwe said Mr Mpombo should realise that the opposition was using him and that his continued attacks on President Rupiah Banda amounted to "political prostitution".

He said Mr Mpombo would be given his letter of suspension soon.

"It is better that he continues to insult the party from outside than from within, that is why we have decided to suspend him," he said.

Mr Chilambwe also said the province would start the process of having Mr Mpombo expelled from the party.

MMD Ndola district vice-chairperson, Victor Chimuka said his committee welcomed the suspension of Mr Mpombo.

He commended Mr Chilambwe for taking a bold decision to suspend Mr Mpombo, saying the party was now in a better position to prefer charges against the Defence former minister.

Mr Chimuka said the party was tired of Mr Mpombo's petulance and his committee was resolved to support any actions that would be instituted, for the sake of ridding the party of inconsequential members.

But Mr Mpombo said the suspension could not stand because proper procedure in banning him was not followed.

Mr Mpombo, who said he had just learnt about the action taken against him, added that there was no way Mr Chilambwe could suspend him without following the normal procedure of allowing the constituency party executive to initiate the process to suspend him.

"Their action is totally unacceptable. Mr Chilambwe never spoke to me and how does he, a nominated member, come up with the suspension when the constituency executive refused to endorse the move. This is an exercise in political vanity and I am not moved or shaken in the least," Mr Mpombo said.

On why he had remained vocal on calls to postpone the holding of the MMD convention when President Banda had indicated that the national executive committee (NEC) had not come up with a final position, he said he was aware that this was a political gimmick.

"Firstly, they endorsed RB as the sole presidential candidate and now they have said no to the convention. NEC has no mandate to say we should forego the convention because that is supposed to come from the people," he said.