Zambia Seeks To Lift Former President Banda’s Immunity

Zambia’s information minister says the government plans to ask parliament to cancel former president Rupiah Banda’s immunity from prosecution after he refused to talk with investigators from the country’s anti-graft commission.

“The government of Mr. Rupiah Banda is actually said to have been involved in massive plunder of our resources. He was invited to answer some allegations against him, but he refused,” said Information minister Kennedy Sakeni. “So government has no alternative rather than to lift his immunity. And that can be done by taking it to parliament as per our laws.”

Under the Zambia’s constitution, parliament is the only institution that can lift the immunity of a former head of state.
Sakeni also took a swipe at Zambia’s political opposition, saying it was creating tension and clashing with police.

At a recent joint press conference in South Africa, opposition leaders accused Zambian President Michael Sata’s government of stifling democracy and called for it to be suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations.

“The country is under assault, our democracy is under assault...The signs on the ground are very similar to what happened in Uganda with Idi Amin in terms of how the president and government is managing the opposition,” said Nevers Mumba, leader of the main opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).