Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote’s company in Zambia, Dangote Industries Zambia is suing the country’s Labour Minister, Fackson Shamenda, for defamation.
According to AFP, the company initiated the lawsuit after the mr Shamenda claimed that a senior company official of Dangote Industries tried to bribe him.
The company is now seeking unspecified damages for slander and libel as well as special damages in the sum of 112,042.84 kwacha ($17,728), according to documents filed in the High Court.
On September 15th, a local newspaper, Namibian Post, carried a story with the headline “Dangote offers Shamenda a bribe” where the labour minister claimed that a Nigerian human resources manager from the company offered him a bribe which he rejected.
“He told me that it was a tradition in their culture to give someone a token of appreciation. May I take this opportunity to warn Dangote and all other investors in the country to avoid enticing government officials with bribes — it hinders progress.” Shamenda was quoted as saying.
Dangote Industries is setting up a multimillion dollar cement plant in Ndola, about 360 km north of the capital Lusaka.