Under probe Zambian Minister for Tourism, Ms Sylvia Masebo, has denied disregarding legal advice from Solicitor General Musa Mwenye, this is according to a story carried out by Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).
She told this to the Royda Kaoma Chaired tribunal that was set up to investigate the conduct of the minister for tourism after former Tourism Minister in the Movement for Multi Party Democracy government Mr William Harrington petitioned the minister.
Ms Masebo denies disregarding the Solicitor General’s legal expertise on the cancellation of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) tendering process involving hunting blocks.
She disclosed that she directed ZAWA to suspend the tendering process but that did not happen.
During the Friday session Masebo described allegations that Vice President Guy Scott had approved the exportation of one hundred and thirty Sables to South Africa as ridiculous.
She told the tribunal that Dr Scott was not responsible for wildlife.
Masebo told the three man tribunal during cross examination that she managed to stop the exportation of the animals to South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Minister has accused former ZAWA Director General Edwin Matokwane of being at the centre of the problems that characterized the institution.
Ms Masebo told the tribunal during re-examination that Mr Matokwane failed to carry out the directives issued to him by the minister to address the irregularities that were in the evaluation process of the 19 hunting block tendering process.
Ms Masebo says she directed the former ZAWA Director General to correct what was in the leaked document that showed that 3 firms had already been short listed before the evaluation process was completed, but he disregarded the directive but instead he added more firms to the same list.
She explained that it was at this moment that she concluded that Mr Matokwane was allegedly involved in the suspect activities that befell ZAWA.
Ms Masebo says they were family curtails that had infuriated the tendering process by using Zambians as fronts to win the bids.
This was done to overcome the citizens’ empowerment clause that was enshrined in the tendering document which required indigenous Zambians to be empowered.
The hearing continues.
Former ZANACO director Musonda was jailed for getting wrong orders from president Chiluba.
It sounds like a German General at the end of WW2 pleading not guilty to war crimes because he was obeying orders. Orders and instructions can be legal or illegal madam. You should never act on illegal orders, and besides, it was not necessary to implicate the president in an attempt to cover yourself.
One of PF circusses gobbling millions of tax payer’s money.