Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Namugala has admonished Chitambo PF member of parliament Remember Mutale for alleging that the suspected owner of the controversial 51 houses, Charles Luyana, Liuwa UPND member of parliament Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane’s nephew.
Mutale made this allegation during Parliamentary proceedings on October 29.
“As Mr Zimba MP for Chasefu Parliamentary constituency was asking the Minister of Home Affairs as a follow up question on his statement, Mr Mutale MP, raised a point of order. Here is what he said in support of his point of order as quoted from the verbatim report, “Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order. Indeed the issue of the 51 houses has been a thorny issue to the nation. Further, the nation has been very much anticipating now that the names have been mentioned, I am very much aware that Mr Charles Luyana is a nephew to, (cut, intervention by Mr speaker)”, honorable Mutale continued as per verbatim report. “Mr Speaker, let me finish sir, since this person has relatives in this House, so is it in order for the former honorable minister of finance to remain quiet without divulging to the nation that he is aware of this Charles Luyana owning these houses? The honorable former Minister of Finance” (interrupted by Speaker), the statement quoted above from Mr Remember Mutale MP alleges that Mr Charles Luyana is a nephew to a former minister of finance. As honorable Mutale spoke, I scanned the House to check if there are other male former ministers of finance apart from me, there was non,” Namugala recounted.
“I wish to bring to the attention of the house that on Tuesday 29th October, 2019, the Speaker received a letter of complaint from Dr S. Musokotwane, MP for Liuwa parliamentary constituency against Mr Mutale. An excerpt of the letter is in the following terms and I quote, ‘I am raising a complaint against Mr R. Mutale, the MP for Chitambo parliamentary constituency regarding what he said in the House on Tuesday 22nd October 2019. This occurred during the time when the Minister of Home Affairs, honorable Kampyongo MP was responding to questions from MPs following a statement he made in the House on the findings of the joint investigations into the ownership of the 51 flats in Chalala township, in Lusaka. The flats have been seized by the Anti-Corruption Commission because they are supposed to have been acquired using proceeds of crime. During the session for questions for clarification in his ministerial statement, the minister stated that the suspects in the 51 houses were as follows, Charles Luyana, an accountant at the ministry of finance, Susan Sinkala, the wife to Mr Charles Luyana and Charlie Chitala a lawyer based on the Copperbelt.”
Making a ruling over a complaint, Namugala said it was unbefitting of Mutale to bring unverified information on the floor of the House, before admonishing him.
“The committee noted that Mr Mutale was a first offender and decided to exercise leniency. Accordingly, the committee recommended that he be admonished. Honorable members, the Speaker applied his mind to this matter and endorsed the committee’s recommendation that he should be admonished. I now proceed to admonish you. Mr R Mutale as recommended by the committee on privileges, absenses and support services, the House is extremely displeased with your conduct of making an allegation which you failed to substantiate against a fellow member of parliament on the flier if the house. Your statement had the potential to tarnish the reputation of Dr S. Musokotwane amongst his peers and the public at large. In addition, you are expected to know that the information which you bring to the house must be factual and verifiable. I trust that you will reflect seriously on your conduct and in future desist from conduct unbefitting of a member of this August House,” said Namugala.
