LUSAKA, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Civil Society Organizations on Friday called on Zambian President Edgar Lungu to fire one of his aides after a court connected him to corruption in the Ministry of Health.
On Wednesday a magistrate court ordered for the arrest of Simon Miti, who is Lungu's principal private secretary, so that he could answer to corruption charges brought out at a time that he served as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health.
Magistrate Exnorbit Zulu, who sentenced five former workers at the Ministry of Health in connection with the corruption that occurred between 2007 and 2009, said it was not too late to arrest Lungu's aide so that he could also answer to the corruption charges because he was aware of that was happening at the Ministry of Health and that he was an accomplice.
Macdonald Chipenzi, Executive Director of the Governance, Elections, Advocacy and Research Services (GEARS), a local advocacy organization, said Lungu should immediately fire his aide after the court cited him as a main culprit in the Ministry of Health corruption scandal which shocked the nation.
"Mr. President we are waiting for you to walk the talk on the fight against corruption," he said.
Gregory Chifire, Executive Director of the Southern Africa Network Against Corruption, said stakeholders were keenly waiting to see what would happen to Lungu's aide after he was linked to corruption at the health ministry.
He said the aide must either resign from his position or Lungu should fire him in order to pave way for his prosecution in court.
