PF member Emmanuel Mwamba says he has reported Ministry of Tourism and Arts Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga to the Anti-Corruption (ACC) for abusing his authority by cancelling the safari hunting concession agreements signed in 2020.

Speaking after reporting the matter to the ACC, Wednesday, Mwamba said Muhanga also illegally terminated Department of National Parks and Wildlife Director Dr Chuma Simukonda’s contract.

“We are here to report a case of the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Permanent Secretary Evans Muhanga. We think that the manner in which he cancelled the hunting concession licenses and the hunting concession agreement was illegal because he did this against the advice of the Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha. He had said the country would incur huge amounts of money if the contracts were cancelled which were legitimately and legally procured. We have also reported Mr Muhanga for terminating the contract for the Director of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Dr Chuma Simukonda. We think that the termination of that contract was illegal and because Dr Simukonda refused to participate in the illegalities being perpetrated by the PS in relation to the allocation of hunting concessions,” said Mwamba.

Muhanga cancelled safari hunting concession agreements signed in 2020, against the advice of Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha, as the hunting season opened on May 1, 2022.

According to the Attorney General’s advice in a letter dated January 5, 2022 addressed to President Hakainde Hichilema on tender No. MTA/SP/001/2020, there was nothing illegal about the tender and that cancelling it would attract lawsuits against government.