Zambian president launches new anti-corruption plan

Zambian president launches new anti-corruption plan

LUSAKA — Zambia's President Rupiah Banda on Thursday launched a new national anti-corruption policy, hoping to erase doubts over his government's anti-graft credentials after former leader Frederick Chiluba was cleared of embezzlement.

A court 10 days ago cleared Chiluba, a flamboyant former president, but convicted his two co-accused.

After the verdict the head of Zambia's Task Force on Corruption, Max Nkole was sacked and his appeal in the Chiluba case was withdrawn by prosecutors.

The resulting controversy has raised doubts about whether Banda would continue the anti-corruption crackdown launched by the late president Levy Mwanawasa, which had won Zambia praise overseas.

Opposition parties have accused Banda of interfering in the courts to win Chiluba's acquittal on charges that he embezzled 500,000 US dollars of public money.

Banda said the new policy would reinforce government's commitment to eradicating graft and provide a framework for government agencies to cooperate with the public in investigations.

"We renew our resolve to uphold the motto of ?Zero Tolerance Against Corruption'. The war against corruption is the responsibility of everyone," Banda said.

"My government shall remain committed to the rule of law and respect for human rights," Banda said.

"Even as we fight corruption we should not lose sight of the constitutional rights of those accused," he added.

Banda credited the government's efforts in fighting corruption with helping fuel Zambia's record economic growth over the last decade.

"The government has over the last eight years implemented a wide range of reform measures to combat corruption, streamlined the management of public resources and enhanced service delivery," he said.

"The reforms had a positive effect on the economy until the onset of the global economic downturn," Banda said.

The top British aid official in Zambia, Mike Hammond, urged Banda to show commitment in the anti-corruption fight.

"If the government of Zambia is to build on the momentum of the past success, it must be seen to take action against those that do not abide by the rules, and no individual should be above the law," Hammond said.

Britain has given more than 13 million dollars since 2000 to support Zambia's anti-corruption agencies.

Chiluba has accused Britain of masterminding his prosecution, saying the case was driven by "imperialists".

US warns Karzai on fraud, corruption, militia ties

US warns Karzai on fraud, corruption, militia ties

Thu Aug 27, 2009


WASHINGTON, Aug 27 - U.S. envoys and lawmakers have bluntly warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai that American patience is running out, citing concerns about allegations of fraud and corruption and attempts to prejudge the outcome of last week's election, participants said on Thursday.

Karzai met twice with U.S. President Barack Obama's envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, after the Aug. 20 presidential election, including a private lunch in Kabul that turned "tense" when the U.S. envoy raised the possibility of a run-off.

After that confrontation, the two finished dessert and shook hands, officials said.

U.S. tensions with Karzai, in meetings with Holbrooke and a visiting delegation of U.S. senators, reflected both election-time stress and growing discord in American relations with the man who has been leading Afghanistan since the Taliban was overthrown in 2001.

Endemic government corruption and his close ties with former militia leaders have eroded Karzai's support, both with the Afghan people and with Washington policymakers.

The Obama administration was particularly disturbed by Karzai's last-minute alliance with Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum, officials said.

"He (Karzai) has hurt himself in the eyes of a lot of people," a Western observer close to U.S. deliberations explained of Dostum's role in Karzai's campaign.

U.S. officials say Dostom, who fought for Afghanistan's Soviet-backed Communist government and later switched sides repeatedly during years of factional civil war, may be responsible for war crimes.

Karzai justified the move to Washington, telling officials he believed Dostum, who enjoys the overwhelming backing of ethnic Uzbeks in the north of Afghanistan, delivered key votes that could put him over the top.

CLOSE RACE

Karzai would need more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off, but partial tallies so far show a close race with his leading challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Tensions flared the day after the election, when Karzai's campaign drew Washington's ire by declaring victory even though none of the results had been released by the independent election commission.

Washington fears such declarations undercut the commission and cast doubt on the election's legitimacy.

At their lunch meeting, Holbrooke urged Karzai to respect the election process, particularly given the possibility of a run-off. Karzai, who has told Washington that a run-off risks igniting ethnic violence, became angry, officials said.

Holbrooke has said Washington would make the fight against corruption a central focus after the election, a move that could further stoke tensions with a Karzai administration.

U.S. officials fear allegations of fraud will undermine Afghan public support for whatever government emerges after the election.

"There's been wholesale fraud to the benefit of Karzai in the past but there is no evidence that he was personally involved in fraud," a U.S. State Department official said after the vote.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll showed most Americans believe the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting and only a quarter say more troops should be sent there.

"It's the last chance," Senator Sherrod Brown said, describing the message his congressional delegation delivered to Karzai last week during a post-election visit to Kabul. (Reporting by Adam Entous; editing by Todd Eastham)

Afghanistan - security, corruption and poverty.

Three major concerns form the backdrop to Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential election: security, corruption and poverty.

Security: While many Afghans hoped that 2001’s US-led invasion would at last end decades of conflict, their country is still at war. The Taliban, who were driven out of government in 2001, are still fighting, especially in the south.

During the election campaign, they have also staged attacks in some relatively secure areas, such as Herat in the east and Kunduz in the north. On 8 August they even fired rockets in Kabul. The main candidates travel with heavy security, but some campaigners have been attacked. In a statement in late July, the Islamist guerrillas called for a boycott of the poll, but they stopped short of threatening voters.

The Defence Ministry has announced tight security plans, including operations to secure flashpoints before the vote and a ban on traffic and the mobilisation of troops for polling day.

Corruption: While most Afghans struggle to scratch a living, flamboyantly decorated homes and shopping malls have appeared in Kabul and other cities, develoments built by influential citizens many of whom are linked to the government.

At this year’s international conference on Afghanistan, the US and the European Union criticised President Hamid Karzai for failing to stamp out corruption. Government ministers and provincial governors are frequently accused of financial malpractice, nepotism and abuse of influence and links to heroin production.

Former MP Malalai Joya is among those who accuse leading politicians of being unreconstructed warlords, often guilty of human rights abuses, and of being no more concerned with women’s rights than the Taliban.

Poverty: A promise to tackle poverty features in all the candidates’ programmes. And no wonder.

More than ten million Afghans, 37 per cent of the population, live in severe poverty, according to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Unemployment stands at 40 per cent.

Such deprivation reportedly helps the Taliban, who pay their fighters about 300 euros a month, recruit. And it encourages farmers to turn to opium production, making Afghanistan the world’s biggest producer and the supplier of most of Europe’s heroin.