EX-MINISTER EMMERINE KABANSHI JAILED

By CHARLES MUSONDA                                        FORMER Community Development and Social Services Minister Emmerine Kabanshi has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for willful failure to comply with the law, guidelines, or applicable procedure relating to procurement. High Court Judge Lameck Mwale, who sat as Chief Resident Magistrate in the matter, yesterday handed down the sentence on Kabanshi after finding her guilty. In the first count, particulars of the offence were that the former Luapula Member of Parliament, being Community Development and Social Services minister, willfully failed to comply with the law, applicable procedure or guidelines relating to procurement. Kabanshi was accused of extending the scope of coverage of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme to include three provinces and two districts. Pàrticulars of the offence in the second count were that Kabanshi willfully failed to comply with the law, applicable procedure or guidelines relating to procurement. This was after she re-engaged Zambia Postal Services Corporation as payment service provider for the SCT programme after the initial contract was terminated.