Zambia
Zambian ex-President detained over corruption

afrol News, 20 February - Zambia's ex-President Frederick Chiluba today was detained to be questioned by police officers, only one day after his immunity was lifted. Mr Chiluba now is questioned by the anti-corruption group of Zambian police.

According the spokeswomen of Zambian anti-corruption police, Betty Mumba, the ex-President was taken in for questioning "and we will present a charge against him as soon as we have finished this questioning."

President Chiluba ruled Zambia for ten years after winning over authoritarian President Kenneth Kaunda in the 1991 elections. Mr Chiluba, who remained a favourite among Western leaders for years, however quickly developed dictatorial tendencies parallel to his predecessor and is now alleged to have plundered large amounts from public funds. 

Mr Chiluba stepped down at the end of 2001 after his attempt to run for a third presidential period was thwarted by massive demonstrations and a subsequent split in the ruling party. The Zambian constitution only allows two presidential terms.

Today's President, Levy Mwanawasa, originally was observed to be Mr Chiluba's right hand and chosen heir, but distanced himself from the ex-President during the elections in 2001. During the last year, President Mwanawasa increasingly has sustained claims of corruption and abuse of public funds against the Chiluba administration.

After the protecting hand of the current President was removed, parliament has lifted Mr Chiluba's immunity against criminal charges. This was confirmed by a unanimous Lusaka Supreme Court ruling yesterday.

The ex-President is accused of several criminal activities. This includes the payment of around US$ 20 million to a Congolese businessman for a delivery of weapons that never was made, in addition to private engagement in the sale of under-priced minerals for Zambia's state-owned mines. Only this latter affair is supposed to have cost the Zambian government more than US$ 40 million.

The decision to lift the ex-President's immunity and charge him with corruption has generally been welcomed by organisations, the press and political parties in Zambia. The decade of Chiluba's rule is increasingly being termed the "decade of theft" by Lusaka dwellers.

Zambia has been one of the main aid-receiving countries in Africa for decades. Despite of large transfers from the international community and intensive poverty fighting programmes by the World Bank, Zambian economy has lagged more and more behind in a regional context.

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