Banda won't answer graft changes – lawyer
2013-02-06 10:07
Lusaka - Zambia's ex-president Rupiah Banda will not appear
before a government anti-graft panel which has summoned him to answer
corruption charges, because he has immunity, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
The summonses form part of a wide-ranging and sweeping
anti-corruption campaign launched by Banda's successor Michael Sata, mainly
targeting high profile members of the former administration.
"He is not going there! For what?" one of Banda's
lawyers Sakwiba Sikota declared.
Banda, who took office in 2008 but lost the 2011 election to
Sata, had been ordered to appear before the anti-graft task force on Thursday.
But Sikota told AFP late on Tuesday that Banda "is not
going to appear before the investigations wing".
Anti-Corruption Commission chief Rosewin Wandi said even as
Banda has immunity for any offences committed while he was in office, he was
wanted to answer charges into "allegations of corruption and other
criminal activities" in which he had been named.
Sikota insisted the former head of state was protected by
presidential immunity and as such could not appear before the investigating
team.
Banda "enjoys immunity under ... the constitution. It
would be wrong for us to agree to a scheme that is circumventing the
constitution of this land," said Sikota in a letter to Wandi.
Details of the allegations against Banda were not disclosed.
Wandi had said in a letter to the former president that
"it might serve your interests to avail yourself the opportunity to
provide answers to the allegations made against you without losing your
immunity".
In what is said to be a drive to weed out corruption, but
likely to raise political tensions, Sata's government has systematically
detained or questioned the president's critics, including politicians and
journalists.
- SAPA
