German Ambassador Dismisses MP Visa Denial Allegations

German Ambassador to Zambia Soenke Seimon has dismissed allegations that the Embassy denied 18 Zambian MPs visas.

Last week, Bwana Mkubwa MP Warren Mwambazi claimed that he and 17 other MPs were denied visas to travel to Berlin and Turkey. This then prompted the Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti to direct Jack Mwiimbu to deliver a ministerial statement today on the matter.

The German Ambassador gave an interview on Tuesday, denying the allegations and saying that the Embassy had actually issued more visas this year than in 2024. He said, "We saw the story from Parliament in the news, and we were surprised, because that is completely not true. How could we deny them visas?"

The Ambassador also said there was no record of formal applications by MPs. He said “we wish to have more parliamentarians in Germany. We want to have more business delegations, more young people.”