26 December 2011
FORMER president, Rupiah Banda has said it is not fair for the Government to discontinue paying him his emoluments, insisting that he is not involved in active politics.
Mr Banda said he had retired from active politics and that he was merely holding the position of MMD president to facilitate a smooth transition while the former ruling party prepares to hold its extra-ordinary convention in April next year.
He was responding to a Press query through his administrative assistant, Mikatazo Wakumelo in Lusaka yesterday.
He said he was not supporting any of the MMD presidential candidates because he had decided to retire from active politics.
Chisamba Member of Parliament Moses Muteteka, former Zambian high commissioner to Canada, Nevers Mumba, MMD chairperson for commerce Felix Mutati, national vice-chairperson Kabinga Pande, and former Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane have applied to contest the party presidency.
On Sunday last week, Chief Government spokesperson Given Lubinda announced that the Government was suspending the disbursement of entitlements to the former Republican President.
This was after the MMD national executive committee resolved that Mr Banda would continue holding the position of party president until April next year when the party would hold elections at an extra-ordinary convention.
Meanwhile, Mr Banda said he would allow investigations into the Mpundu Trust account, which allegedly holds up to US$1 million (K5 billion) to conclude and would not engage in public debate over the matter.
The former president said he was not willing to defend himself in the public on allegations of impropriety, but would allow investigators to do their work.
He said there was no way he could start explaining details of the Mpundu Trust account and villas in Lusaka when there had been an announcement that they should be probed.
President Michael Sata recently directed investigative wings to probe Mpundu Trust that holds about K5 billion and how the construction of the villas was financed.
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Zambia: Former President Rupiah Banda Demands His Pay Cheques