A Lusaka based Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) employee has finally let the cat of the bag! He has vehemently denied ever laying his hands on the controversial ‘ichipaso’ that somehow found itself into the possession of Lusaka Archbishop Alick Banda. He narrates, in an exclusive interview with a named tabloid, how fraudulent receipts and other documents were generated in his name by his named supervisor, in a deal that was meant to facilitate the illegal disposal of government vehicles from ZRA.
“I don’t know Archbishop Alick Banda, I have never met or talked to him in my life, I’m sure even him doesn’t know me. So how did I gift him a vehicle?” wondered Mulopa Kaunda. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to establish a crime was committed here…… illegal conversion of state property into private, not even the Church!
And by profiting from the same “dirty vehicle,” the Archbishop definitely stands accused of committing a felony as an accomplice. Now, what does Archbishop Banda have to say about the same? Where does it indeed leave the much respected Catholic Church?
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There’s no doubt about it…..Archbishop Banda has wilfully exposed the Catholic Church to unnecessary contempt and ridicule – he has desecrated it! The only wisest and honourable thing now left for him to do is tender in his resignation letter without any further ado to protect the image of the Church. This is not the first time some of us are having our ears being perforated by disturbing stories about the said man of God.
Whispers abound on the streets of Lusaka about how bag loads of cool cash were deposited into his hands for safe keeping, at the Cathedral, after the spectacular general elections that saw his ‘bestie’ meeting his Waterloo! We even doubt whether the Archbishop still commands respect amongst his peers. During the state funeral for former President Ruphia Banda in 2022 for instance held at the Showgrounds in Lusaka, we happened to bump into a retired Lusaka Archbishop in a liquor store at Northmead.
The septuagenarian definitely had no kind words for his successor. He complained of how the Archbishop went behind the backs of his fellow Bishops during a State House visit when PF was still in power to privately meet President Lungu for obvious reasons! The Bishops couldn’t if course hide their displeasure as they drove back to their base at Kapingila House in Kabulonga in a shuttle bus.
Can the Archbishop deny this? The Catholic Church is bigger than any living being; it has been there for approximately 2,000 years, tracing its roots back to Jesus Christ and the apostles. It’s one of the oldest institutions in the world.
It’s definitely going to outlive Archbishop Banda. It’s therefore absolutely preposterous for the name of the Church to be deliberately dragged into the gutter due to someone’s shortcomings. In the West for instance, including the Vatican city the sit of the Catholic Church, Priests accused of embezzling funds or indeed molesting children aren’t spared.
They’re stripped-off of their robes and thrown under the bus! What’s so special about Archbishop Banda? Setting double standards aren’t we?
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