Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said on Sunday he was prepared to give his embattled predecessor Frederick Chiluba a presidential pardon if Chiluba repaid money he allegedly stole from the state.
”I am ready myself to give Chiluba a presidential pardon if he brings back the money to the country,” Mwanawasa said in a interview on state television.
The president said it would be costly for Zambia to jail Chiluba if he was convicted because, as a former leader, he would deserve special treatment and Zambian prisons might not have the resources to treat him differently.
He dismissed Chiluba’s complaints that parliament had not given him a chance to defend himself against graft allegations, saying Chiluba would be able to defend himself in a court of law and that parliament had only paved way for him to face prosecution.
Chiluba is meantime challenging the validity of the parliamentary decision to lift his immunity from prosecution. A hearing has been set for July 2 in the High Court. The former leader faces possible high-level corruption charges, following allegations that he had stolen millions of dollars of state funds during his 10 years in office which ended last year. – Sapa-AFP