APA-Lusaka (Zambia) Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo has resigned after a damning video emerged showing him allegedly receiving a bribe from a Chinese businessman, APA learnt here on Wednesday.
In a resignation letter handed to President Hakainde Hichilema, Kakubo said he was the victim of “malicious claims over a business transaction between my private family business and our business partner with whom we still have good relations”.
“In due course, we will provide the accurate context surrounding the recent developments,” Kakubo is quoted as saying.
A video showing two people counting wads of cash stacked on a table has gone viral across the country, resulting in a public outcry.
Kakubo, who has been Zambia’s top diplomat since September 2021, said he had resigned as a minister to protect the integrity of Hichilema’s administration and ensure that the government was not “distracted” from its efforts to improve the lives of Zambians.
“This decision is to ensure that our government is not distracted from continuing to look for solutions for bettering the lives of our people.”
He would, however, remain a member of parliament.
Hichilema has accepted Kakubo’s resignation, according to a statement by the president’s office.
JN/APA