By AARON CHIYANZO
HEALTH Minister, Chitalu Chilufya, will continue to serve despite having been charged with corruption because a mere allegation is not a conviction, State House has said.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Isaac Chipampe, said President Edgar Lungu would presume the innocence of Dr Chilufya and leave it to the prosecution and the courts to prove otherwise.
Mr Chipampe said the President respected the independence of the Judiciary and other organs such as the Police, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Drug Enforcement Commission and would do nothing to interfere in their operations.
This is contained in a statement issued yesterday.
“Despite being charged with criminal offences, in this case corruption allegations, Hon. Chilufya is currently innocent until proven otherwise by the courts of law. This assumption is predicated on the principle of presumption of innocence which is enshrined in the Constitution of Zambia and is consistent with according an accused fair trial,” he said.
Mr Chipampe said the Constitution was clear that every person who was charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he or she was proved or pleads guilty
“The principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty by the courts of law is also enshrined in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights,” he said.
