Investigators summon Zambia's Banda
2013-03-16 19:00
Lusaka - Zambian investigators on Saturday said they had
summoned former president Rupiah Banda to appear for questioning, less than 24
hours after parliament voted to strip his immunity.
"The summons were delivered to him today," said
investigations team spokesperson Namukolo Kasumpa, adding that Banda was due to
appear at 10:00 on Monday.
Banda faces charges of corruption, money laundering and
fraud.
He ruled Zambia from 2008 to 2011, when he lost power to
Michael Sata.
The handover was originally smooth, but Sata has since
launched an anti-corruption fight perceived by many as a scheme to silence
dissenting views.
Banda's lawyer Robert Amsterdam on Saturday described the
case against the ex-president as "a farce that fails to pass the litmus
test of legitimacy".
"Removal of Banda's immunity is totally unrelated to
justice. It is a crass political strategy aimed at removing potential
competitors to the successor of an ailing, enfeebled president," Amsterdam
said.
