ZAMBIA’S FORMER PRESIDENT READY TO BE INVESTIGATED
By ZAMBIA NEWS FEATURES CORRESPONDENT
Former President, Rupiah Banda has stated that is ready to be investigated for the alleged missing gold which was allegedly sold to a Swiss businessman Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu, however according to statement issued by the administrative secretary Mikatazo Wakumelo after October 12 it was recorded that Nicolae Buzaianu had no part in the gold purchase.
“President Banda welcomed the investigations of the sale of gold by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), which was wrongly linked to Dr. Buzaianu. All the relevant people involved in this transaction are available and will provide necessary answers to the investigating team but suffice to say that no gold went missing mysteriously as has been portrayed,” the statement said. Mr Banda’s office also said it was ready to be investigated on the issue of purchasing or alleged missing of vehicles.
“President Banda also welcomes the investigations into this matter as he was not a procurement officer. All the people involved in this matter are around and are still serving even under this administration. So they will provide answers as they are better placed to explain where the missing vehicles are, if at all they are missing,” the statement also said. A number of people are demanding the removal of Mr Banda’s immunity so that he can be investigated for his conduct as head of state.
The Full Statement:
Following the numerous allegations made against former Republican President, Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda, I wish to make clarifications on the following issues:
That Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda has a number of friends both in Zambia and outside who have requested to meet him following his gracious exit from the Presidency after the September 20, 2011 elections. Mr. Banda has granted appointments to a number of visitors who have been coming to see him since he left office. To the best of his knowledge, he has not met anyone who is a fugitive.
That Dr. Buzaianu, a Swiss-based businessman, requested to pay a visit to the former President during his planned trip to Zambia. Dr. Buzaianu applied to the Zambian authorities for permission to land at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport 48 hours before his trip to Zambia and the Zambian Government granted the landing rights to Dr. Buzaianu, who arrived on Wednesday, 12th October, 2011. The purpose of his trip was not to purchase gold but to inform then President Banda that he was stepping down from his post as UNESCO representative.
That a request was made to the Zambian authorities to extend the usual courtesies to Dr. Buzaianu at the airport which was, in fact, done. He was received by a protocol officer at the airport and taken to the VIP lounge while his immigration formalities were done. He did the finger print biometric procedure at the airport before he proceeded to the customs and exited. He spent about one hour and 30 minutes at the airport while doing his formalities.
That all relevant security wings were at the airport when Dr. Buzaianu was doing the usual formalities and at no time did he hide his identity. The former President provided vehicles for his visitor to pick him at the airport together with the state security attached to the former President’s office. President Banda also requested his former press aide Mr. Dickson Jere to receive his guest on his behalf at the airport because his security did not know him.
That after leaving the airport, Dr. Buzaianu proceeded to the Taj Pamodzi Hotel where he was booked for an overnight stay and did not hide at all. He later paid a courtesy call on President Banda that same day. During his stay at the hotel, Dr. Buzaianu interacted freely with hotel guests and staff. If Dr Buzaianu was a fugitive as alleged, he would not have been openly moving around. A recent release from President Sata’s confirmed that Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu is and never on the DEC watch list.
That the following day, Dr. Buzaianu proceeded to Mfuwe to visit the Chipembele Educational Centre, which he has been supporting as a philanthropic cause. Dr. Buzaianu proceeded in the normal way at the airport and paid his airport taxes before he left Kenneth Kaunda International Airport for Mfuwe International Airport. At Mfuwe Airport, Dr. Buzaianu was cleared in the standard manner as prescribed by the provisions of the Immigration and Deportation Act before he went to visit the school. He flew out the same day with airport permits for his flights from Mfuwe.
That President Banda welcomes the investigations of the sale of gold by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), which has been wrongly linked to Dr. Buzaianu, so stated Sata’s adminstration. All the relevant people involved in this transaction are available and will provide necessary answers to the investigating team but suffice to say that no gold went missing mysteriously as has been portrayed. Dr. Buzaianu visited Zambia out of courtesy for his position and to express his interest in the school.
That on the issue of purchasing or alleged missing of vehicles, President Banda also welcomes the investigations into this matter as he was not a procurement officer. All the people involved in this matter are around and are still serving even under this administration. So they will provide answers as they are better placed to explain where the missing vehicles are, if at all they are missing.
That President Banda is available at any given time to answer to any clarification which the current Head of State Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata may have concerning this matter or indeed any issue before they are made public. He remains committed to supporting the current President in order for him to succeed in running the Government. This is the position President Banda took when he made his farewell speech at State House after losing the last elections.
Nicolae Buzaianu, the Swiss businessman President Michael Sata wrongly linked to the “mysterious disappearance” of about 118kgs of gold with a present day value of more than K32 billion may have distanced himself from Zambia and its gold scandal but has recently been awarded a gold medal by the Church of Russia for his charity work in Eastern Europe.
What is now being called the “gold-gate” scandal has turned into an embarrassing event for President Sata. Like they say in Hollywood movies he came out “guns-a-blazing” and blamed all the wrong doings on the Swiss based philanthropist when in fact President Sata did not know whether the gold was sold to Dr. Buzaianu or even if a crime was committed.
Originally the Swiss national has hired Lusaka lawyer Sakwiba Sikota to defend him in the scandal that involved former President Rupiah Banda, his son James and a former press assistant, Dickson Jere. Dr. Buzaianu has withdrawn all legal actions against the Zambian administration since an official apology has been released on his behalf.
In a brief explanation Buzaianu, 42, philanthropist, confirmed in correspondence obtained by the Daily Mail from his lawyer that the gold was bought not by himself, but by two South African companies he named as Societies Financiere du Seujet SA and Valsior SA. Buzaianu arrived in Lusaka to make Banda aware that he was leaving his UNESCO post to take up other charitable endeavors.
Buzaianu continually declared that he was not part of “the transaction” that has seen Mr. Jere questioned by a combined team of police, Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Mr. Buzaianu stated he felt a need to demonstrate that the “transaction was perfectly correct,” and “I did not participate in the transaction and I did not receive any benefits”. He further stated “I arrived on a personal matter which was to chat with President Banda.” Mr. Banda confirmed in a call that Mr. Buzaianu arrived in Lusaka to discuss his exiting his UNESCO post.
Mr. Buzaianu explained through his lawyer why he “believed” that the transaction was “perfectly correct” he has compelled the two South African companies based in Switzerland to give “full support” to the fact that they, and not him, bought the gold at US$4,066,000. A letter received confirmed Buzaianu’s explanation of not being a buyer of the gold.
No tender procedure was implemented and the buyer was single-sourced. This is by no means is fault of any buyer but fault of DEC and those who run the organization. The gold scandal has brought much embarrassment onto the office of the former President, forcing him to issue a statement on October 16 admitting he had met Buzaianu, but that his meeting was not sinister but about Buzaianu stepping down from his UNESCO post.
President Sata, however, on October 12 expressed disappointment and even anger that persons of suspicious character on a DEC “watch-list” flew into Zambia on a private jet and “saw my predecessor (Rupiah Banda).” Unfortunately President Sata over spoke and only assumed Buzaianu were on the watch list but never was.
Swiss businessman Nicola Bogdan Buzaianu cleared from gold scandal by Gloria Koko
Swiss businessman Nicola Bogdan Buzaianu had instructed his lawyers to start court action against the government of Zambia for defamation. His lawyers have since indicated that they will no longer be demanding $100-million in damages. The reason is the Zambian government has release an official apology stating Nicola Bogdan Buzaianu has played no part in the current gold scandal.
The action originally arises from recent assertions by Zambian President Michael Sata that 119kg of gold had disappeared “mysteriously” from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) offices in Lusaka and that the people who were responsible had supposedly “sneaked” into Lusaka by private jet and met his predecessor, Rupiah Banda.
It turned out that it was Buzaianu, a resident of Nicosia, Cyprus, who on October 12 flew into Zambia by private jet and met Banda. Upon further investigations it has been discovered that Dr. Buzaianu came to Lusaka to make former President Banda aware that he felt his time as a UNESCO delegate to was coming to a close. His reasons for stepping down are to work on the restoration of churches in in of much repair throughout Eastern Europe. It should be noted that Buzaianu was a significant supporter of educational projects in Zambia.
Sata originally had described Buzaianu as a “fugitive”. He also linked him and the former president directly to the “mysterious” disappearance of the gold. These allegations have since been recanted. Earlier statements by Sata stated that “It is very sad that the Drug Enforcement Commission seized gold but it went missing mysteriously.” The people who bought the gold was believed to have purchased the gold it was in Lusaka a few days ago. It was assumed they have come in a private jet and saw my predecessor. The name is Nicola Bogdan Buzaianu,” Sata said is now cleared and he now owes the Swiss based philanthropist and apology.
Buzaianu stuck to his convictions and denied ever buying gold from the DEC or the Zambian government and has established that the gold in question was sold to two Swiss-based companies in which he has no interest. Documentation released by the lawyers also show that the two companies followed all the procedures when buying the gold. Buzaianu complains of having been “maligned and being grossly mistreated in the manner President Sata handled the matter.” But accepts the Zambians governments apology and believes its best to move on with no hard feelings.
President Michael Sata has dismissed insinuations by former prersident Rupiah Banda’s camp on the possibility of removing the later’s immunity so that he could face prosecution. President Sata, in a statement issued by his press aide George Chellah, said neither his party, the Patriotic Front (PF) nor his government have discussed the “removal of anybody’s immunity.”
Mr. Banda’s administrative secretary, Mikatazo Wakumelo issued a statement on Octoober 16 in which he said the former leader was ready to be investigated on allegations of selling gold which had been in possession of the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and at first believed to be sold to a Swiss National, Nicolae Bogdan Buzaianu who presently has been cleared of all charges. It was later discovered that Dr. Buzaianu flew into Lusaka to make Mr. Banda aware that he was voluntarily stepping down from his UNESCO post to pursue other ventures.
The State House statement, however, said the zero-tolerance stance against corruption adopted by the new administration was irreversible and that government was firm on its fight against the vice both in the public and private sector. “During the campaigns we made an undertaking that we shall robustly fight corruption and we shall do just that. The policy of this government is that any person who has aggrieved the Zambian people economically and otherwise, in the past or present, must face the law. ” Mr Sata is quoted as saying. “Make no mistake about it, because we are resolute on combating corruption and all its offshoots even if it means losing friends. We are ready to make that sacrifice for the sake of the Zambian people whom we promised and as a result they gave us the mandate to preside over this country’s affairs.” President Sata said the law enforcement agencies will investigate any past and present acts of corruption and ensure that the culprits are prosecuted within the due process of the law. “I’m confident that professionalism and exemplary ethical conduct shall be the bedrock of this process,” says the President.
The President emphasized that the crusade against corruption will be done without malice or witch-hunt and shall be non-selective because he does not believe in selective justice. “This government has not made a decision at any level regarding the removal of anybody’s immunity. And nobody has even talked about it either from the party or government’s side. It is therefore, preposterous that some political stakeholders and leaders among us are attempting to frustrate this crusade by throwing innuendoes and half-truths on this noble cause,” says President Sata. “I must repeat that, we are unwavering on this score and nothing other than justice shall prevail. As for those who have expediently decided to side with corruption and the corrupt, we leave it to the Zambian people to see and know them for who they are and what they stand for. A moment ago, we all campaigned on the platform of fighting corruption, so what has changed?”
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