Zambia’s former foreign minister shot himself dead on Tuesday shortly after the country’s parliament lifted ex-president Frederick Chiluba’s immunity from prosecution, state radio said.
Katele Kalumba resigned from his post on July 11, minutes before President Levy Mwanawasa urged parliament to remove Chiluba’s immunity.
Kalumba served as finance minister in Chiluba’s government but Mwanawasa moved him to foreign affairs when he came to power early this year.
Mwanawasa has named Kalumba as one of the people implicated in the financial scandals surrounding Chiluba.
Last year Kalumba was acquitted by a special tribunal trying him and two other ministers for allegedly diverting $750 000 of parliament money to fund last year’s convention of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD).
Vice President Enock Kavidele has meanwhile given a national address detailing further corruption charges against Chiluba and naming more people who allegedly received illegal allocations of state money from his government. – Sapa-AFP