Former Defence Minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM) says he is ready to be arrested and will soon speak out on his impending arrest as it is a scheme coined to finish him politically by his enemies who are also determined to take over the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership.
Mr. Mwamba said that he was not a coward who was scared of being arrested for standing for the truth charging that his enemies were now using his business to label him as being corrupt by using his office while serving as Defence Minister.
He said that Zambians would soon know the truth about the continued political persecution his family was going through and that nothing was going to dampen his spirit as he was an innocent and free citizen.
And UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says the impending arrest of GBM and his daughter Sibongile by the Zambia Police has exposed how corrupt and ungrateful the Patriotic Front government was and doubted whether the former Defence Minister would ever receive fair trial from the PF regime being controlled by an evil cartel.
In an interview from South Africa, Mr. Mwamba said he was not scared about the impending arrest because he was aware about the scheme long before the police had even started their malicious and politically investigations.
He said that he was ready because he was eager to inform Zambians the truth about all the allegations leveled against him and his family as a result of a corrupt cartel which wanted to show how powerful it was in the PF government.
“I am aware about the impending arrest and I am not sacred and I am waiting for that. The nation will know the truth since that is the way they want to play the game. The only crime I committed is leaving government because of my family,” said Mr. Mwamba who is also PF Kasama Member of Parliament.
Mr. Mwamba said that he would not allow political intimidation and threats to cow him down because he believed in truth and hoped that leaders in the PF would not feel betrayed for speaking out on many issues.
According to police sources within the police, Mr Mwamba would now be officially arrested after a warn and caution statement was read to him early this year. The police have said they were ready to effect an arrest of the former defence Minister on charges of abuse of office and other related accusations.
Police officers say the docket had already been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for authority to proceed with an arrest.
Mr. Mwamba resigned as Defence Minister last year after President Michael Sata asked him to choose between his job and his family among them paramount Chief Chitimukulu Henry Kanyata Sosala who the Head of State has refused to recognize and gazette.
And UPND president Hakainde Hichilema described the pending arrest of Mr. Mwamba was shameful and laughable because it was clear that the charges the Kasama Central strong man was facing were not only politically instigated but were being framed by a cartel that was determined to obliterate businesses of political opponents.
Mr. Hichilema said that it was now clear that the PF was running a corrupt system which only sanctioned the arrests of those who fall short of their support such as GBM.
He noted that the impending arrest was a shame as it was predetermined, saying that Zambians were aware of the schemes by corrupt elements in the PF to get rid of individuals they perceived to be a threat to their presidential ambitions.
“What we know is that even Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba was being investigated by ACC and was together with GBM cleared. But what shocks us is the way the Zambia Police have only retrieved one case involving GBM leaving out Kabimba who was accused of corruptly benefiting from the Trafigura oil transaction involving US$D500 million.
Why this selective arrests? Do you think GBM will ever receive a fair trial even if he is taken to Court? We now hear that some magistrates and Judges at the High Court who are independent in the manner they administer justice are being transferred. President Sata must know that you cannot run the country on vindictiveness,” said Mr. Hichilema.
He also said that the speed at which police was scheming to arrest Mr Mwamba was as per political instructions.
“Let them deny this that they are not working under political instructions to arrest GBM now? Let them deny that they have been directed not to reopen Kabimba corruption allegations case and only to focus on GBM. Let them deny that this is a political scheme to finish GBM politically because they have failed to finish him financially,” Mr Hichilema said.
Mr. Hichilema has since warned police to be professional in the manner they were conducting political investigations and arrests saying the biggest losers were the people of Zambia whose resources were being wasted on such matters which were ended in acquittals or nolle prosequii.
Zedchronicles