No illegalities in sell of Gulfstream – Bwalya

By KETRA KALUNGA

THE disposal of the Presidential Gulfstream that cost Zambia US$120 million will strictly be done within the law and that there shall be no breach of the constitution, Presidential spokesperson, Anthony Bwalya has said.

Anthony Bwalya, the pres- idential spokesperson has allayed fears that President Hichilema and his adminis- tration would be breaching the law if the Gulfstream Jet is sold without being taken to Parliament for consideration.

Recently, President Hichilema announced he would be selling the Gulfstream jet and claimed the Zambia Air Force (ZAZ) plane was procured at

an exorbitant price of US$193 million when records are to the effect that US$120 was spent on the aircraft.

Emmanuel Mwamba, Zam- bia’s former Ambassador to Ethiopia has warned that President Hakainde Hichile- ma’s decision to sell the Gulf- stream was illegal and against the constitution.

Meanwhile, UPND spokes- person Cornelius Mweetwa has rubbished social media reports attributed to him that

he is against the decision by President Hichilema to sell the Gulfstream Jet.

Some socil media outlets circulated some reports pur- porting that Mr Mweetwa had issued a statement to ef- fect that President Hichilema could not sell the jet because it was a property of the Zam- bia Air Force and not of the Head of State.

According to President Hi- chilema, the price of the Gulf- stream jet was inflated and

that money was allegedly si- phoned from the transaction and would therefore work to recover the said money and use it to fix the economy.

Mr Bwalya told the Daily Nation in an interview that President Hichilema would follow the law to the letter in ensuring that the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) aircraft was disposed of so the Zambians should not worry, Presidential spokesperson Antony Bwalya has assured.

He stated that enough ille- gality had already been com- mitted in the procurement of that aircraft and President Hakainde Hichilema was only trying to correct the wrong that was committed by those who were engaged in the pro- curement of the plane.

Mr Bwalya said President Hichilema made it very clear even before he was elected that the aircraft would be sold when the UPND formed government because the pur- chase of the plane was a great injustice to Zambians.

“It was great injustice to the welfare of people that they went out and spent close to $200 million of borrowed money for an aircraft at the time when government was strangling to employ teachers and nurses, pay bursaries for students at CBU and UNZA, pay council workers, pay pen- sioners,” he said.

But Mr Mwamba, Zambia’s former Ambassador to Ethio- pia has warned that President Hichilema’s decision to sell the Gulfstream was illegal and against the constitution.

Mr Mwamba said listening to the President declaring that he had almost sold the Jet was raising alarm because such a sale would be totally illegal and a serious constitu- tional breach.

Mr Mwamba, the PF presi- dential candidate said before the Presidential Jet could be sold, President Hichilema needed to familiarize himself with Article 210(2) of the Con- stitution of Zambia( Amend- ment) No.2 of 2016.

Meanwhile, Given Lubinda, the PF acting president says Mr Hichilema should stop making alarming statements about the previous govern- ment acquiring the presi- dential Gulf Stream jet at an inflated price when he can engage the suppliers to get the records.

Mr Lubinda said that he was shocked that the Head of State was claiming that the price was inflated when he could easily contact the supplier Elbit Systems Ltd to confirm the actual figures in- volved in the purchase.