Africa-Press – Zambia. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has issued Restriction Notices on properties in Balmoral Makeni belonging to Citizens First President, Harry Kalaba, and Patriotic Front Presidential Candidate, Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba, under Section 60 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act No. 3 of 2012.
According to the Notice, the owners may not sell or dispose of the property while under investigation. The move has been widely condemned, with both Kalaba and Mwamba speaking out against it.
Citizens First President Harry Kalaba has expressed concern over the ACC’s decision to conduct a second investigation on the same property they had already cleared. He accused President Hakainde Hichilema of abusing law enforcement agencies against his political opponents and warned that such actions would hinder the fight against corruption.
Meanwhile, Patriotic Front Presidential Candidate Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba has accused the government of harassment, stating that he was surprised that the ACC officials arrived at his property with a Restriction Notice without interviewing him about the sources of his income. he added “I was a Diplomat serving as Zambia’s Ambassador to South Africa and Ethiopia for seven years earning roughly about $10 000.00 a month in foreign service allowances.””I was also paid seperation benefits.”
“Before that, I was Permanent Secretary for almost five years and I was also paid a good salary and huge benefits when I was separated.”Before that I was Deputy Permanent Secretary since 2003.”
“I lead a decent and disciplined life. Overtime I have since built some flats for rent in Kafue and Makeni.”
Mwamba stressed his clean record, saying “In the last twenty years, I’ve never been involved or reported in audit queries or corruption. My record is clean, clean. Now this is purely a case of harassment. My appeal is to President Hakainde Hichilema not to use law enforcement agencies to harass and intimidate political opponents. This is not a professional investigation but an abuse of the law.”
The accusations by Kalaba and Mwamba come amid growing concerns about the Zambian government’s treatment of political opponents and its respect for the rule of law. The government has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that the ACC is an independent institution that operates without interference from the executive.
The Zambian public and the international community will be closely monitoring the developments in this case to see whether the government upholds the rule of law and respects the rights of its citizens to criticize its actions.
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