Saviour Chishimba ready to spill beans
Opposition leader in Zambia, Saviour Chishimba, has challenged those inquiring into the maize deal to summon him to share what he has described as “the missing link” in the dubious deal between Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) and Zambia.
A joint parliamentary committee of Agriculture and Public Accounts is conducting a probe into the deal while another parallel inquiry is being done by commissioners appointed by President Peter Mutharika who are expected to present their final findings on January 31.
Chishimba is seen as the first person to have brought to light the shady dealings into the purported purchase of 100,000 metric tonnes by government from Zambia.
In an exclusive interview, Chishimba insisted that there is more than what meets the eye in how the transactions were done between government officials from both countries as well as private companies in Zambia and Malawi.
“These people are Mafias, there are cartels involved. Government in Zambia imposed a Maize ban in bad faith because what they wanted was to push other private sector operators out of the deal so that they could bring in their own people who could line with their pockets. This whole thing is stinking corruption, government was only used as a front so that they could evade tax and maximise their profits,” Chishimba said.
The leader of United Progressive Party also hinted that he has already shared the evidence with Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Zambia and said he expects the commission to share the same with Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Malawi.
Chishimba further claimed that there is also another private company in Malawi (name withheld) which was used in the purchase of the grain in Zambia, adding that he has also tasked ACC to probe the private supplier.
Said Chishimba: “The coming in of this private company from Malawi makes this whole thing interesting. According to information we have, it indicates that the owners of this company are Malawians of Indian origin who have business interest in Zambia. These are people who can walk to State House and meet the President,” he said.
He also observed that the conflicting statements from officials in Zambia on the involvement, his government speak volumes of how higher up the alleged corruption went, saying it is important that prosecuting agencies examine these inconsistencies.
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