Africa-Press – Zambia. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has seized over 71 vehicles belonging to the Patriotic Front (PF). The vehicles which were given to party officials were impounded early this year and have now been formally seized for disposal, crippling the opposition party’s operations countrywide.
According to reports, ACC issued a Gazette Notice No. 604 dated 4th April 2022 notifying PF to claim 71 motor vehicles that the Commission has impounded failure to which the said vehicles will be forfeited to the state.
Reacting to the news of the seizure of vehicles, PF Acting Secretary-General Nickson Chilangwa informed PF members and the general public that the party is carefully studying the list of the impounded motor vehicles and shall vehemently contest all seizures of vehicles and any other properties that legitimately belong to the Patriotic Front.
Mr Chilangwa said that it is important to note that the Law is very clear that no person, institution or authority has a legal right to question a political party to disclose its source of funding, thus the party find the action of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Zambia and other investigative wings of Government to continue questioning and harassing members of the Patriotic Front with regards to the funding of the Patriotic Front to be utterly unconstitutional and absolutely ultra-vires.
Mr Chilangwa further said that it was equally strange that out of all the registered political parties in Zambia, only the Patriotic Front was being illegally questioned about its source of campaign funding and that only the Patriotic Front is having its properties being confiscated, and wondered why no UPND or any other political party’s vehicles are being impounded as we have not seen any disclosure of how they acquired their vehicles, and described the action as purely a witch-hunt and gross misapplication of the law.
“Honestly, how can anyone think that a Party as big as the Patriotic Front; a Party that has been in existence for more than 20 years; a Party that has been in power for 10 years cannot afford to own a vehicle or a property? What kind of warped thinking is that, ” Mr Chilangwa asked.
“The UPND is using state institutions and abusing state power to try to wipe out the Patriotic Front from Zambia’s political space. They are using and abusing ACC, DEC and other related Government institutions to cripple financially and materially cripple the Patriotic Front and to label and paint the entire party as a criminal and corrupt organisation.
“However, we will not cow down or falter in our efforts to pursue justice and reclaim what rightfully belongs to us.
“We have a solemn duty to protect and defend democracy and the rule of law and we will do anything within our powers, legally so, to defend and protect the Party and ourselves from this wanton abuse of state power.
“Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money and wasting man-hours of the innocent employees at DEC, ACC, Zambia Police and others, the UPND must concentrate on giving honest answers to the Zambian people concerning the Kakubo, Milingo scandals among many others.
“This Government of dealers are using the so called fake fight against corruption to try to distract the Zambian people from holding them accountable for their failure to deal with the many economic challenges Zambians are facing under their failed leadership. We challenge the UPND to concentrate on delivering the many promises they made to the people of Zambia and to stop using the Patriotic Front as a cover up for their failures,” concluded the statement.
For More News And Analysis About Zambia Follow Africa-Press
