WYNTER Kabimba SC and two other opposition political party leaders have given Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane a seven-day ultimatum to prove whether President Hakainde Hichilema had given express written consent to the Auditor General to hire Grant Thornton and Price Water House Coopers (PWC) to audit the defence and security wings.
Three political parties, the Economic Front, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Citizens First have told Dr Musokotwane that the procedure he had employed to award Grant Thornton and PWC to audit the country’s defence and security wings was contrary or ultra vires of the provisions of the constitution.
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning recently announced that it had signed a contract with Grant Thornton and PWC, the private auditing firms to intrude into the books of accounts for the Defence Force Units through what it called selective bidding.
The parties have stated that unless Dr Musokotwane could within seven days prove that there was express written consent from the President, the parties would commence judicial review proceedings in the High Court to seek what they termed an order of CERTIO RARI to quash the contract.
The hiring of the two firms was however against the advice of the Office of the Auditor General who has the exclusive stator mandate to contract external auditors and only after express written consent from the President.
And now, the Economic Front led by Mr Wynter Kabimba, the NDC by Ms Saboi Imboela and Mr Harry Kalaba, the president of Citizens First have demanded that Dr Musokotwane should cause the publication of the express written consent by President Hichilema to the Auditor General authorising him to hire the two firms. The political parties are being represented by WM Kabimba and Comoany
The three political parties have demanded that Dr Musokotwane should within seven days prove that his action to hire Grant Thornton and PWC had complied with all the constitutional and legal provisions of the Public Finance Management Act of 2018.
They have said failure by Dr Musokotwane to prove that his action had complied with the constitution and all the legal provisions would result in legal proceedings in the High Court against the Finance Minister.
“It is our client’s instructions that at no time did the Auditor General seek express approval of His Excellency, the President on the grounds that his office was unable to undertake the audit or that the same would not compromise the security of the State. The confirmation by your office through the Secretary to the Treasury to the effect that the contract was signed at the Ministry of Finance goes to confirm our clients’ instruction. In view of the above, unless we hear from you within seven days from the date hereof that indeed the constitutional and all legal provisions so referred have complied with the award of the audit contract in question, we have instruction to commence judicial review proceedings in the High Court to seek an order of CERTIO RARI to bring into the High Court the said decision for purposes of quashing the same,” the letter reads in part.
Dr Musokotwane admitted that the contract for the two firms was not signed by the Auditor General but by the Ministry of Finance but failed to state whether there was express written consent by the President to authorise the hiring of the two firms.
See And Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti on Friday curtailed debate on the hiring of the two firms and decreed freezing of allowances for PF members of Parliament for staging a walk-out.
The MPs have since written to Ms Mutti, blasting her for curtailing a debate on an important national matter and accused her of being partisan instead of being an impartial umpire.
LAZ and TIZ have confirmed that the President wrote the letter. But these politicians want to show their relevance on the political space.
A majority of Zambians don’t oppose the decision to audit the institutions in question but the auditors and the manner they were contracted. Government risks diluting an important exercise by its behavior. We all want to own the outcome of the audit and have consensus on what to do with it. If it’s indeed in public interest then let them heed our call. If they don’t them we’ll construe the audit as HH’s narrow political agenda It’ll backfire on him
indeed let him provide evidence
William Banda read the letter from LAZ properly not just headlines
This Musokotwane should be watched carefully.
The letter from LAZ does not state that they have seen the letter. Can Musokotwane show us the letter?
Barotseland at work.
Wasnt Winter a defence minister at some time of the PF rule? So, we understand his concern and fear.
This colonisation has seriously damaged our minds. How do you get excited in unravelling what would be a small crime but oblivious to the fact that in doing so you risk losing everything. Exposing your military to an external audit is the same as handing your house keys to thieves and letting them pick and choose things at their leisure.
Thank you to those of you who have sacrificed your personal time to pay me a visit in jail. I will always remember this gesture.
Have you noticed how that PF account has suddenly disappeared because the UK based Impostor is back again…it has now got a bit of material to troll again. what a sad thing it is…not easy to live in the UK if you are not sharp upstairs.
No I haven’t noticed because I have a life and don’t have time to poke my nose into other peoples business. Try it for a change.
The Imposter is not in the UK
unfortunately not possible to disclose due to serious consquences
I have got all the time to respond to you two numpties whilst I am locked up in jail by your god hh
Being in opposition for the length of time HH was has a lot of baggage. He needs to pay back a lot of people like Grant Thornton, Anglo American by doing so he will be robbing Zambians contracts, mines and finances. With IMF on board things like price of fuel, electricity, water will sky rocket. With prices of commodities ever going up, the much cerebrated GDP, exchange rate and inflation will not hold. Nipano tuli
Upnd is a disgrace…..in fact they are just interested in doing businesses, They don’t care about the people of Zambia…If president had a heart for this country the opposite would be happening in our nation.. People are dying like flies in hospitals and he is busy traveling in and out of the nation. I still can’t understand why mining companies are tax holiday…
Anything to do with fighting corruption, the PF will vigorously oppose and fight it in Zambia. The question is “why?”
Go ask your ugly father
I can only imagine what this audit will unearth …the purchase of that Presidential Jet, Crook Stud Mwale that former PS will not come out clean from this as his signature is everywhere,
The same jet ugly hh is using. Fuseke
They are just waisting their time…………
The audits will be done……………
We await more PF looting revelations…………
Wait untill the bill for ZAF chopper rides for muscisians and other PF caders during elections is brought to light……..
If you think and are convinced the GRZ has broken the law, why even give the 7 day ultimatum, just go for it and commence your judicial review proceedings in the High Court. Period.
I thought the biggest opposition Party that has members of Parliament, should have been in the drivers seat, but ALAS ! as usual the useless political parties are the ones in forefront making noise, why and who can trust their sh!T?
WHERE IS PF then ? Useless leaders – Mundubile, CK, Mwamba, Lubinda….. or whatever is left off ba PF.
Where is PF you ask? They are busy bribing provisional officals for votes for the top job as for Kabimba he doesnt know whether he is coming or going just a dinasour.
Defiler speaking, ichalo ichi, arrest him please.
This Muti also must one day be answerable for the offences she commiting today,we are tired of her biasness kkkkkk ciwamina galu kuluma mbuzi,ba mwankole 2
Why should the speaker start to threaten members of parliament?
Why are the political failures, witches , corrupt crooks and uncouth prosititutes still asking and opposing the process of sanity and flight against corruption? Is that what socialism stands for? Ck and kalaba you almost won the confidence of many people when you were forced to separate yourselves from the corrupt gang, especially the good definition and description you gave for them as corrupt and very selfish gang. Your rejoining the gang has started destroying your reputation and you won’t go anywhere unless separate yourselves and stop working with them.