The Zambia Youths Association in the Fight Against Corruption (ZYAFAC) has hailed the conviction of former Labour Minister Austin Liato as a great morale booster in the fight against corruption.
The Association has however called on the State to appeal against the 2 year sentence on the basis that it is too lenient.
ZYAFAC Executive Director Rickson Kanema says it’s gratifying to note that unlike during the MMD regime were high profile corruption cases used to take years to conclude, it has only taken a few months to conclude and convict Mr Liato.
Mr Kanema says while his organization does not take pride in seeing corrupt people going to jail, it is happy to see that justice has prevailed against those that use public office to illicitly enrich themselves at the expense of the majority poor.
He warns would be perpetrators of corruption that no matter how clever they may be in committing corruption, one day the law will catch up with them and pay the big price just like Mr Liato.
Mr Liato was yesterday sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with hard for being in possession of proceeds of crime involving K2.1 billion unearthed at his Mumbwa farm last November.
QFM
The jail will keep him fit. All that belly will shrink
Dem crazy bald heads…dem ganja smoking tifs,…JAH burn dem. The sentence is OK but the DPP has no moral obligation to prosecute any one in dis countyr ma man him tif our money, him must go ajail!
He  need to be jailed atleast 4 years and drop hard labour. Atleast in PF admin corruption cases are been dispalled fast unlike past MMD admin, but judicial reforms has to happen.
Does one appeal against the sentence or does one appeal against the conviction or both or one othem…? legal minds pls help….
what about dora please tell us.
With Liato out of circulation mahule have lost income…less money in thear skirt pockets!
@ Kanyengedwe, a person can appeal for both if he so feels. Nothing wrong with it. But if he loses in high court, the judge can as well increase or decrease the sentence if he so deems.
You don’t need to be a Harvard law graduate to reason why Liato’s case hasn’t take long to conclude. Liato opted to use his constitutional right to be silent,i.e he didn’t bring in witnesses. Take Chiluba’s cases for instance, the man was forever on medical tourism in South Africa, it was not the fault of the prosecutors. For your own information, its the same prosecutor, the Mighty Mutembo Nchito.
@ makkoffi thanks, but in this case if the state appeals against the sentence, can the judge at high court reduce it, increase it or even squash it…coz I can foresee a possibility of this billion dollar man walking to fredom! By the way how has judge Chisanga ruled on the tribunal?
Just make sure all the thieves are convicted, not selective conviction.
RB
Miti
and the rest of the former cabinet
I agree, RB is busy watching the celtics in the TD garden in Boston. He must answer for his crimes.
Liato is to MMD
GBM is to ?
You can jail Liato for 20years it won’t make you any more wealthier or fulfilled.It won’t even put more money in yr pockets.
Same thing applies to the arrest or dismissal of Mutembo Nchito. None of you will see even 2 ngwe of the 14 billion you are making noise about bafikala
Liato and GBM are both grade 7s….dalo pipo
@Kiwi,
No wonder you are black like Kiwi shoe polish. 20years jail sentence for Liato will teach him a good lesson. Atleast we will be assured that he won’t steal within that 20 year period.
I dont even know why we bothered to have a trial, the money spent on the trial could have just been handed over to Membe and Nchito, who by the way I hope will be awarded Liato’s farm because they deserve it and are the most intelligent and upstanding citizens of Zambia.
Liato looks like “kamwana ka njobvu’.
I think by law the name of a person or the position he/she holds does not matter neither does the amount of money stolen whatever either be it K100 or K1000 000 the crime is the same and the sentencing will depend on many factors but the most important is precedence :(
Tribunal on judges illegal – well done Judge Chisanga! Lady not for turning!!!! Judiciary 3 Ukwa,Membe/Nchito 0. Pasate muzabweza nkongole!
????
Dear Mr. Liato money money,
I greet in the name of Natural Justice.
This letter serves to inform your that following your conviction & the two years sentence you shall serve in jail with hard labour. I wish to voluntarily take over the assets and liabilities of your beuatiful wife.
I trust this will meet your favourable consideration.
yours sincerely
Mwanamfumu shimichita Panono
I hear judgement has been passed in Mmembe, Nchito, Ukwa vs judges Tribunal case. Some one is going to be very disappointed. Viva street Joe, down with political elitesÂ
Two years in jail for someone who stole ZMK2.1b from Zambian people is indeed too lenient a sentence. Some people have been going in for more than 5 years for stealing a chicken or a goat not from Zambians but from an individual. Here is someone who has stolen large sums of money from all Zambians and he is going in for 2 yrs ONLY! I smell a rat and that smell is coming from the direction where the judges are sitting! This sentence is not at all deterring would-be offenders. It is actually encouraging the culture of stealing among Zambians.
@21 Maano…………. naumfwa ati the says “the Tribunal is illegal”…… Battle of the Executive,mmembe,nchito and the Judiciary. Fichili eko tuya.
What guarantee is there that this country will develop without corruption,suffice to say with even illiterate leaders? I can only hope by 2016 the country will be a paradise on earth.
What about $Dora $iliya? Doesn’t Au$tin Liato need a coleague to chill with mu boarding?
News in! Judicially slaps Executive in the face! Judge Chikopa’s 15 minutes of fame is over.
Let’s not be evil people, 2 years Hard labour in a Zambian Jail is the same as sentencing a person to Siberia. Have you even seen a Zambian cell?
There are a lot of factors an adjudicator looks at before sentencing, such is; Is the person before the court a first offender? Was there violence involved in the commission of the offence? Was the offender of sound mind at the time of the offence? Status of the victim of the crime- an affence against the young, the aged, and the infirm will attract a harsh sentence, while the offenders circumstances in some instances will help reduce the sentence, as when Liato says he has a heart ailment. There are many more factors, depending on the circumstances and the judge.
Yes the 2 years is nothing compared to the jail sentences for the poor people who only steal a chicken. Nevertheless within the 2 year period , Liato will learn a big lesson that stealling and corruption do not pay…bravo court.
so, where is the money? how do we know it did not go into Mtembo Nchito’s bank account?
let this be a lesson even to indian origin,they like “planting money” too
Iwe chimwanamfumu #20 you will just die of aids.Liato has slept with 1m mawules in Zambia.
money iwama ngati wadyako, noti sochabe……..dont talk too much guys…..Liato aliche! They all eat, the difference is Liato banamugwila. PF are already eating….
No 13 it’s you who is dull for you have failed to establish your self GBM is now a minister and runs multy billion companies so who is better a grade seven with money working for him or your self the so called graduate with holes in your clothes shame on you
thanks for you share.buy win 7 home.