Mulongoti accuses Lungu of stealing Eurobond money
By Staff Reporter
Mike Mulongoti has accused President Edgar Lungu and his team of stealing all the Eurobond money the government received.
On Saturday last week, Lungu begged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Edorgan to help Zambia repay the country’s US $750 million Euro Bond obtained in 2012, which is due to mature in 2022.
Erdoğan arrived in the country on Friday for a one-day state visit.
This was about a week after Lungu went for Edorgan’s inauguration, following that country’s general election where the latter was re-elected.
“We have information that a Turkish firm has offered to help Zambia repay the loan. We urge you, your excellence to encourage the firm to come to our aid,” begged Lungu.
And commenting on the matter, Mulongoti, the People’s Party leader, wondered why a sovereign state should seek help from a company to repay its debt.
He challenged Lungu to show where the money went.
“How can a sovereign country such as Zambia beg for financial help from a company? What a shame! And if I may ask, did that money come to Zambia? Let him show evidence that the money was received by the Central Bank and it was receipted. Otherwise, they got the money, got commission from it and went to borrow again,” Mulongoti alleged.
And Mulongoti wondered the kind of friendship Lungu and Edorgan had found.
“Don’t forget that Edorgan is a dictator. This is a guy who planned a coup against himself in order to cover up his corruption. He has made a lot of people suffer because of that stage- managed coup,” said Mulongoti.
“Some of his fellow citizens who have gone back to that country have had their passports confiscated and arrested over nothing. Is that the kind of person he should embrace? That explains why Mr Lungu has no regard for the rule of law. It also explains why he has given himself sweeping powers, just like Edorgan. It’s time Zambians got the courage and stood up against this dictatorship. We should remove Lungu from power and free ourselves.”
After being re-elected, Erdogan assumed major new powers under Turkey’s new constitution.
The changes were endorsed in a tight referendum last year by 51 per cent of voters and were due to come into force after the election.
The changes included directly appointing top public officials, including ministers and vice-presidents; the power to intervene in the country’s legal system; and the power to impose a state of emergency.
