Very soon I’ll have my immunity – Chiluba

Very soon I’ll have my immunity – Chiluba
Written by Ernest Chanda and Maluba Jere
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 6:16:52 PM

FORMER president Frederick Chiluba yesterday said his immunity will be restored by Parliament very soon. Addressing journalists after a church service in honour of the late local government minister Benny Tetamashimba at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka, Chiluba expressed optimism that his immunity would be restored because he was entitled to it.

"I'm very patient about my immunity; I know that very soon I will have it because I'm entitled to it," he said.

Chiluba said the MMD leaders' celebration of his acquittal was justified.

He said Ndola High Court registrar Jones Chinyama had no choice but to acquit him of corruption charges because he was innocent.

"That show of solidarity is justified. It is amazing that no one has questioned the audit findings of the Bank of Zambia and Grant Thornton on the Zamtrop account. These institutions verified that there was my money in that account. So the judge did an honourable thing of acquitting me because there was no evidence," Chiluba said.

On Monday, MMD cadres marched around Mansa town to celebrate Chiluba's acquittal and they were later addressed by lands deputy minister Michael Mabenga, local government deputy minister Chrispin Musosha and MMD deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande.

And the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has referred Chiluba's complaint over Task Force on Corruption prosecutor Mutembo Nchito's decision to appeal against his judgment to the Legal Practitioners Committee for determination.

In an interview yesterday, Chiluba's press aide Emmanuel Mwamba said LAZ president Steven Lungu had confirmed referring the matter to the committee.

Mwamba explained that Lungu said the matter had been referred to the committee because it was mandated under the Legal Practitioners Act to deal with such complaints.

According to a letter from LAZ to Chiluba, Lungu stated that he had referred Chiluba's letter of complaint to the Legal Practitioners Committee, which is mandated under the rules to deal with matters of disciplinary nature against the association's members.

"I would like to advise that in accordance with the Legal Practitioners' Practice Act, that govern the Law Association of Zambia, I have referred your letter of complaint to the Legal Practitioners Committee which is mandated under the said rules to deal with matters of a disciplinary nature against our members," Lungu stated.

"I do believe that at an appropriate time, the committee will certainly call upon you when the matter comes up before it."

Chiluba recently wrote to LAZ to complain against Nchito, claiming that he 'illegally' filed a Notice of Appeal against his acquittal on theft charges involving US $500,000.

In a letter written for and on behalf of Chiluba by Mwamba to Lungu dated August 27, 2009, Mwamba stated that Nchito's conduct amounted to deliberately breaking the law by attempting to appeal without lawful instructions or directives.

Meanwhile, Chiluba described late Tetamashimba as a gallant man, saying it was sad that he died at a time when MMD members were gathering to rebuild the party.

Earlier, delivering a sermon at the church service, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) director Bishop Paul Mususu called on Zambians to reflect on death.

"I know that there are many of you who differed with my brother Benny on various platforms, but they have put that away and are here to mourn him. This is the true Zambian spirit of oneness. The time we have to make a choice is now when we are living, whether to do good or bad," said Bishop Mususu.

"This is a call for us to give thought to death. Death is the only profession where one does not need qualifications. The only qualification is that you are born and one day you will die. The challenge to all of us is that when you are poured like water what will be your verdict? The time to choose is now."