Zambia’s former president Frederick Chiluba, who has been accused of corruption, was on Monday interrogated at a police station for the second time in less than a week.
Chiluba, who left office in December 2001, has been accused of looting national resources during his 10 years in office, a charge he staunchly denies. He has not yet been formally charged, and Zambians have been anticipating his arrest.
There was only a light police presence at Woodlands Police Station on Monday, near Chiluba’s Lusaka home, when the former head of state arrived for questioning at around midday accompanied by his lawyers.
On Saturday an attempt by police to arrest the ex-president failed because his lawyers were not available. Under Zambian law, a suspect can only be charged if his lawyer is present. The latest action against Chiluba follows a ruling in the
country’s Supreme Court last week that parliament acted lawfully when it voted last year to lift Chiluba’s immunity from prosecution.
Among those who have accused Chiluba of looting state coffers is his successor, President Levy Mwanawasa. Monday will be the second interrogation Chiluba has had to undergo by a special task force set up to probe allegations of corruption. The task force is comprised of members of various state agencies, including the police.
On Thursday thousands of people, some of them supporters of Chiluba, jammed the streets outside Lusaka Central Police station where the former president was questioned for around eight hours by the task force. – Sapa-AFP