New Heritage Party decries constitutional breaches, as efforts to audit Agric ministry is frustrated

The New Heritage Party (NHP) is demanding that, Secretary to the Cabinet,Patrick Kangwa, ensures that the audit of the Ministry of Agriculture is undertaken and the Permanent Secretary censured for his prior conduct.

NHP president Chishala Kateka said before the arrest of the Auditor General, he had been undertaking an audit of the Ministry of Agriculture and was denied access to the documentation to enable him conduct the audit.

Kateka said it is unfortunate that the Auditor General has been arrested before this matter could be concluded.

She said the party is in no way implying that the arrest of the Auditor General was to curtail the due process of the audit.

“What we are saying is that – not providing information to an auditor is clearly a constitutional breach and is on a matter which is of public interest,” Kateka said.

She further said the ongoing investigations and reported arrests at the Ministry of Finance by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) are very welcome.

Kateka said the Party is totally opposed to all forms of theft of public resources through corruption or abuse of office or authority because public resources must be utilised on critical public services.

“Dismissals, arrests, prosecutions and retrieval of illegally obtained moneys or property will hopefully achieve the desired outcome of diminishing the occurrence of these vices,” she said.

Kateka however said investigations must wear both a human face, even as investigations are being undertaken, within the confines of the law.

She also said the current practice of grabbing people’s assets prior to investigations being undertaken, contradicts the constitution.

“Any law that somehow contradicts any provisions of the constitution must be revisited. Unilateral grabbing of assets of suspects presupposes, in a way, that they are guilty,” Kateka said.

Contributed by Augustine Sichula

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