EMBATTLED MMD chairperson for legal affairs George Kunda issued an illegal Statutory Instrument last year to sanction collection of ‘inspection fees’ of K360,000 from each transporter by Bradwell International, a firm contracted by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) to manage scanners.
According to sources, Mr Kunda, who was then vice-president authorised in August last year the collection of K360,000 from each transporter even in ports where there were no scanners to pay 85 per cent to Bradwell International.
The remaining 15 per cent went to the Government.
At the time, Mr Kunda issued the Statutory Instrument he did not have the authority to do so because he was not Justice minister as Parliament had been dissolved.
Finance and National Planning Minister Alexander Chikwanda has since revoked Mr Kunda’s illegal Statutory Instrument and abolished the K360,000 which was being levied on each truck.
Bradwell International was contracted in May, last year to operate and maintain container scanners procured by the Zambian Government through a loan from Nutec, a Chinese firm.
Sources said the contract signed in Lusaka between Bradwell and ZRA represented by then commissioner general Wisdon Nhekairo and another ZRA senior official was illegal.
“However, in the contract with ZRA, Nutec was required to provide the same services Bradwell was contracted to provide for five years and there is a contract sum of US$8 million (about K40.8 billion) for this purpose.
“Mr Kunda revoked Statutory Instrument (SI) 54 of 2011 which was earlier issued by Finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane for this purpose because it only limited collection of the fee to trucks subjected to scanners and issued SI Number 101 of 2011, which expanded the collection to other ports which had no scanners and where Bradwell was not operating,” sources said.
When President Michael Sata assumed office after the September 20, 2011 elections, he cancelled the Bradwell contract and blocked a K4 billion payment to the firm.
He then appointed a Commission of Inquiry chaired by Kingsley Chanda to probe allegations of impropriety in the procurement and operations of the scanners.
Mr Kunda, who appeared before the same commission, had said he was not aware that the 85 per cent was for Bradwell and that no one told him that the Statutory Instrument he signed had something to do with the scanners.
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