PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
22nd March, 2022
WE DEMAND QUICK POSTHUMOUS COMPENSATION FOR THE LATE FORMER PRESIDENT’S WRONG PROSECUTION
FOLLOWING all the praises and the glowing tribute paid during the funeral processions of both the late Presidents, Dr Rupiah Bwezani Banda and Fredrick Chiluba, we wish to urge government to consider compensating these gallant leaders in the interest of their aquittal by the courts of law and public opinion over the alleged abuse of power during their tenure of office.
In what seemed to be endless legal battles, the prosecution team failed to prove the case against the late president Chiluba for lack of sufficient evidence in a matter involving the alleged stealing of nearly $500,000 of public funds. Therefore,in August ,2009 the late president Fredrick Chiluba was aquitted of all charges by magistrate Jones Chinyama.
Similarly 2015,the Late President Dr Rupiah Bwezani Banda was arrested but later aquitted on trumped up charges involving the US$2.5 million government-to-government oil deal in the alleged abuse of power during his time in office.
But it is shocking that up-to-date no compensation whatsoever was given for wrongful prosecution and for bringing the name of the gallant former Head of State into disrepute.
The country has in the recent past witnessed similar cases of wrongful prosecution with some involving the traditional leadership. But we wonder why the state has agreed to compensate some of the victims leaving out the two late former Presidents uncompensated.
We, therefore demand compensation posthumously for the two late presidents for the wrongful prosecution and the emotional distraught that they were subjected to during the entire legal process and persecution.
Signed by:
Hon. Francis Kapyanga – MP
Mpika Constituency