Maravi

Kunda defends Chiluba

Kunda defends Chiluba
By Mutale Kapekele and Kombe Chimpinde
Sat 19 Mar. 2011, 04:00 CAT

Vice-President George Kunda says the Task Force on Corruption misled the government into believing that former president Frederick Chiluba had hidden assets abroad.

Vice-President Kunda told Parliament on Thursday that Zambia spent a lot of money searching for Chiluba's assets outside the country based on alleged false information from the Task Force on Corruption.

He was responding to a question from PF Roan member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili who wanted to know how the Attorney General intended to proceed with the registration of the London High Court judgment in the case of Chiluba and others.

He said although the government managed to recover some assets from Chiluba's co-accused, there were no assets abroad that belonged to the former president.

“We received instructions from the Taskforce that the defendants had assets outside the country and we engaged asset trackers to find them. We also obtained a worldwide asset freeze. We received some assets as a result which included some blocks of flats which belonged to some of the defendants but there was nothing for the person you are interested in (Chiluba),” Vice-President Kunda said.

“If you have any evidence to the contrary, you can still bring it forward. We have done what we can but the information from the Taskforce (on Chiluba's assets) was not correct. To date we have not recovered anything and in your PF camp, you believe that he is innocent. You welcomed him at the airport. The courts of law also found him innocent. We were wrong, that's it. I can confirm that we failed to recover anything. We carried out diligent searches, nothing!”

Vice-President Kunda also explained that the refusal by the High Court of Zambia to register the London judgement means that it could not be enforced in Zambia.

“As the judgement remains in force in the United Kingdom, it will be enforced in the United Kingdom as and when any of the defendant's assets are traced.”

Vice-President Kunda also told Parliament that the government had no intentions of tabling Chiluba's immunity before the House adding that the issue was catered for in the new constitution.

Chiluba's presidential immunity was stripped off to pave way for investigations for alleged theft of public funds.

Labels: FREDERICK CHILUBA, GEORGE KUNDA

posted by MrK @ 4:33 PM