Permits for Votes - The Mukula Cartel
Last week the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) released a report on the ‘Mukula Cartel’. The damning report looks at how several government bodies and high-ranking individuals have allegedly been exploiting the rare Mukula tree to secure an estimated US$7.5 million in bribes and informal fees annually. It also contains accusations that President Lungu granted Mukula permits to chiefs in exchange for votes in the 2016 elections, as well as to a Chinese trader who made a US$40,000 donation to his campaign.
The report contains allegations that those involved in the illegal trade of Mukula also include the daughter of President Lungu, Tasila Lungu, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Jean Kapata, and the Minister of Justice, Given Lubinda.
Since its release Chief Nkula of Muchinga Province has been quoted as confirming that President Lungu gave him permission to export 100 containers of the endangered tree.
At the heart of allegations is the state-owned Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO), with the army alleged to be complicit in the scheme that sees fake export certificates issued for the export of the timber to China via South Africa.
The Mukula tree has a special status, being protected in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Its illegal harvesting is contributing to environmental degradation and is considered unsustainable, meaning that the tree is at risk of extinction.
In the wake of its release anti-corruption agency Transparency International has been among those to call on the authorities to take action stating, “Transparency International calls for all competent authorities in Zambia to fully investigate the allegations and prosecute wrongdoing regardless of the rank or status of the accused.”
The organisation’s Vice-Chair Rueben Lifuka has further pointed out that, “Not only Mukula continues to be trafficked despite the outcry of the Zambian public and the international community, the sale of Zambia’s natural resources allegedly benefits only a few people at the highest level of the government.”
The EIA’s full report detailing the allegations can be read at https://eia-global.org/reports/20191205-mukula-cartel-zambia-report
