Elias Mbao
29 April 2011
President Rupiah Banda had no role in the alleged illegal arms procurement deal involving $100 million and does not owe people an explanation on the transaction, says Zambia’s Defence Minister.
An ex-minister of defence in the Banda-Cabinet, George Mpombo, a fortnight ago claimed he quit his position mid-2009 after he refused to succumb to the head of state’s pressure to force him to approve an illegal arms deal with a South African firm, in which Mr Banda’s son was the middleman.
But Dr Kalombo Mwansa told journalists in the capital Lusaka that President Banda had “nothing to explain” because procurement of public goods and services was a function of civil servants. “The President has no role whatsoever in the procurement of goods and services, including arms. So, there is nothing for him to explain,” said Dr Mwansa.
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Official Denies President’s Role in Arms Deal