WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PROSECUTION PROVES THEIR CASE AGAINST ECL’S FAMILY CORRUPTION CHARGES?
Authored By Mupishi Jones
Both Dr Chagwa Lungu ‘s wife and children are on record saying that the properties under question were gifts from Edgar, suppose the prosecution team prove beyond any reasonable doubt that it didn’t come from Edgar, what becomes of Edgar Chagwa Lungu, our former President?
I’m saying this because even Edgar is on record saying all the properties his wife and children are being questioned about came from him.
Won’t this degenerate into
(1) providing wrong and misleading information?
(2) accomplice to the crime itself?
The case of Edgar Lungu’s wife and children makes interesting reading.To begin with,in 2015, Edgar Chagwa Lungu declared his total assets standing at K2.3m. I remember during those elections Hon Sylvia Masebo saying that Edgar even failed to raise presidential nomination fees and it had to take Alexander Chikwanda or Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba – GBM to bail him out.
In 2016, Edgar’s assets jumped exponentially to K23.6m in a questionable manner.
That’s the figure which is still on official declaration documents.
The latest Edgar’s annual salary was around K487,000 allowances inclusive.Therefore,in his 7 years in office,his total official earnings should be around K3.4m.
Edgar Lungu can’t convince anyone that he used to give his wife and children such extravagant gifts even before he became the President! Mr Lungu was struggling with resources before he became the President.
One case to prove how Mr Lungu was struggling was of Ms Wendy Kanyanta under magistrate court case no. 2010/CRMP/688 .
This was a case of obtaining money illegal from his client.On 24 July,2009 the Legal Practitioners Committee (LPC) of the Law Association of Zambia following an official complaint from Ms Kanyanta, summoned both Ms Kanyanta and Mr Lungu over a K36,080.42 which Mr Lungu obtained from her illegally.
On 18th September 2009, the LPC proved that Mr Lungu obtained this money illegally.It ordered that Mr Lungu pay back that money within 60 days from 04 th March 2010 or face further discplinary proceedings.
Mr Lungu struggled to raise this money but only managed to raise K9,000.00 of the K36,080.42.
This prompted Ms Wendy to sue Mr Lungu and on 6 th August,2010,Mr Lungu admitted guilty and once again applied to settle the amount in instalments of K5,000.00
Now this was a few years before 2015 when he declared his official total assets to be worth K2.3m.
From this Wendy kanyata’s case, it’s difficult to believe that the same man can boast of being a successful “Top-notch” Lawyer who can risk to mess his reputation over a K36,080.42. It is also difficult to buy the story that Edgar Chagwa Lungu was gifting his wife and children with extravagant gifts before he became the Republican President.
Madam Esther Lungu claims her double -storey of 15 flats was a gift from her husband.Mrs Lungu was also at the centre of the controversial $400,000 with her niece.
Dalitso the son of Edgar claims his father gave him 69 vehicles,25 parcels of land dotted across prime areas of Chilanga, Chisamba,Nakonde, Masaiti and others,a filling station, Edgar’s daughter Chiyesu equally says her Dad gifted her with a high cost house, flats,2 chicken runs.
Tasila another daughter also prides in receiving expensive properties from her Dad.
Mupishi Jones
+260977480386
It is only logical that ECL is given an opportunity to explain how he acquired such unparalleled wealth while in office as President of Zambia.
Yes he just needs to tell the nation how he acquired all this wealth. What magic did he use? It’s so sadly surprising that you could have some zambians defending lungu’s blantant looting of this country resources with his family and friends.
If the money was made fairly, Edgar Lungu should still be making this kind of money even now as he’s living as former President. The question is, is he? Edgar Lungu and his family no doubt think that all Zambians are too dumb to find out the whole truth.
Lungu = thief
Lungu+thief= corruption
Lungu+thief+corruption= raping Zambia
This man is a criminal and should be behind bars for a long time…..what are the agencies doing about this…..no convictions of any notable person from PF…..the agencies are ALL CORRUPT
He acted like a starving monkey released into a maize field. It will prune even that which will not he can not manage to eat.
Honestly a genuine president with an attractive retirement package as is offered can just depend on it and will not suffer. He had the opportunity to help his children, not to get wealth on a silver platter, but to give them a sustainable career or business opportunity, each one of them. Be should have been wise enough to understand that his ministers and Directors of parastatal companies smeared his hands with corrupt gifts in order to blackmail him if ever he pointed a finger at their wrong doing.
He resigned himself to be a stooge of those that had turned into kingpins. His state security had no rights to shield him from cadres and he was actually a captured man. He was drunk 90% of his time in state house and decisions were made by what had become his inner circle.
In short, he himself is shocked by how much he was gifted from the looting done by his master whose stooge he was. If I were to fight corruption I would target his inner circle and squeeze the truth out of them.
PF SG was calling the shots and is on record of saying his cadres must grab stations and harrass people as commander at intercity was doing. It means funds collected at intercity built his highly mechanized farms and sponsored his lavish lifestyle. It’s a pity it has shown so quickly that he drunk up and danced off the better chunk of it. He looked miserable in the latest picture of him I saw in one of the papers.
Or is he worried that his prophecy of ‘cooking’ jail is fast coming to pass?
My opinion is that Lungu must own up and return to government at least 60% of his loot and retire from politics to lead a decent and respectful life of a former president. He can enjoy his retirement with his grand children around him. He can drink and braii at will and no one will bother him. Let him not be used by the looters to try and protect their loot. He must command the respect of a former president by shading off the cadre mentality and childish behaviour.
Forgive him, he was just being used.
Mr Mupishi, my view is that the children and the wife of the former head of state are the ones who were found with property believed to be proceeds of crime, like in the penal code a person found with property capable of being stolen is arrested and be taken to court for trial.At the point of trial the former head of state may be called as witness to testify that he is the one who gave the property.At that stage when the court has heard that then the case is haulted to allow the withdrawal of the former head of state’s immunity so that he may join the trial.The President has to write to the Speaker of the National Assembly as it is prescribed in the constitution of Zambia amended in 2016 under section 98 (5) The Speaker shall select a committee to look at the matter and the committee may call the former head of state and hear his stance or submittion.The Committee may recommend for the removal of immunity.The immunity can only be removed by not less than two thirds majority of the parliamentarians.When the immunity is removed the trial of the case which caused the removal of immunity commences and judged accordingly.If he is found innocent then the immunity is deemed not have been removed.Section 98 5,6,7,8,and 9.I submit.
Mr Mupishi, my view is that the children and the wife of the former head of state are the ones who were found with property believed to be proceeds of crime, like in the penal code a person found with property capable of being stolen is arrested and be taken to court for trial.At the point of trial the former head of state may be called as witness to testify that he is the one who gave the property.At that stage when the court has heard that then the case is haulted to allow the withdrawal of the former head of state’s immunity so that he may join the trial.The President has to write to the Speaker of the National Assembly as it is prescribed in the constitution of Zambia amended in 2016 under section 98 (5) The Speaker shall select a committee to look at the matter and the committee may call the former head of state and hear his stance or submittion.The Committee may recommend for the removal of immunity.The immunity can only be removed by not less than two thirds majority of the parliamentarians.When the immunity is removed the trial of the case which caused the removal of immunity commences and judged accordingly.If he is found innocent then the immunity is deemed not have been removed.Section 98 subsection 5,6,7,8,and 9.I submit.