 These updates were greeted with widespread skepticism, but Banda insisted that he had "no reason to lie".As Vice-President, Banda also acted as the leader of government business in the National Assembly; however, when the National Assembly met on 5 August 2008, following Mwanawasa's stroke, Banda appointed the Minister of Defense, George Mpombo, to lead the government's parliamentary business instead.Mwanawasa never recovered from his stroke and died while still hospitalized in Paris on 19 August 2008.