lawyer
By KETRA KALUNGA
FORMER President Edgar Lungu is entitled to benefits by virtue of having held the office of Head of State hence withholding his benefits is illegal, a Lusaka lawyer, Mr Jonas Zimba has said.
Mr. Zimba said in an interview that it was unrealistic to claim that President Lungu had been active in politics considering the manner he had been conducting himself.
He said withholding President Lungu’s entitlement on the pretext that he was active in politics was a wild decision for anyone to make.
“What I know is that those benefits are an entitlement by virtue of being a former President, not whether you are active in politics or not. So to begin to extend that to the fact you are active in politics notwithstanding that you are former, you can’t get the benefits, is a wild thing,” Mr Zimba said
He said this in response to Vice President, Mutale Nalumango’s statement in Parliament that the former President wouldn’t be given his benefits until he retires from active politics.
Mr. Zimba said the provisions of the “Benefits of former Presidents Act” Chapter 15 of the Laws of Zambia provides for the pension and other retirement benefits of former Presidents needed to be challenged.
“The provisions of the Act may need to be tested but from what I know and what I have seen and what I have read, the former President is not active in politics anymore,” he said.
Withholding Lungu benefits illegal – Lawyer
