Chiluba co-accused fled Zambia
2004-04-26 20:22
Lusaka - Zambian state agents allegedly helped a former envoy charged in a $41m corruption case alongside ex-president Frederick Chiluba to flee overseas and gather evidence, a court heard on Monday.
Atan Shansonga, former ambassador to the United States, skipped the country at the end of March, the court heard.
A special corruption taskforce set up to probe the allegations against Chiluba, claimed that it could not explain how Shansonga managed to leave despite his passport having been confiscated by the court.
But Chiluba's lawyer, Chimfu Banda, on Monday produced documents stating the chairperson of the special taskforce had allowed the suspect to travel to Britain to fetch documents incriminating Chiluba and six other accused persons.
"Shansonga is in the hands of the state and they know where they took him," Banda said.
Another lawyer, Nicholas Chanda, told the court: "Chiluba feels that he is being persecuted, as opposed to being prosecuted, because of state machinations in this case."
State prosecutor Mutembo Nchito had earlier asked the court to issue a warrant for the arrest of Shansonga for failing to appear in court with Chiluba on Monday.
But magistrate Jones Chinyama refused to issue an arrest warrant and instead ordered the government to bring Shansonga back to Zambia because it was clear that he had fled with the help of state agents.
"I have given you up to Friday this week, failure to which I shall institute criminal proceedings against a person who facilitated his departure," Chinyama said.
Chiluba, Shansonga and former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu are facing charges of stealing $41m of state funds during the decade of Chiluba's rule starting in 1991.
Others arrested alongside the three are two former civil servants and two private businessmen.