By ADRIAN MWANZA and GRACE CHAILE LESOETSA
BEMBA chiefs have called on the state to consider giving back second republican President Frederick Chiluba’s assets to his family because he was entitled and the grounds for forfeiture were not valid.
Chiefs Kaputa and Mpepo in separate interviews urged the government to consider the matter because the manner in which the state had dealt with the Chiluba issue was unfortunate and there was need to reconsider.
Chief Kaputa appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to look into the matter because the Chiluba family were left with nothing and are suffering yet their father led this country and deserved to be recognised.
He said from the look of things there were some people in the system who had vested interest in the matter and properties hence they wanted to play tricks.
“I feel there is a hand that is pushing for this because they waited for the former head of State to die before they re-appealed in the Supreme Court just to get his properties,” Chief Kaputa said.
He said there was need to practice what people preached because what was happening was very wrong and the state needed to come clean and inform the public on what the status quo was.
He said it was for this reason that the matter should be dealt with quickly because the family had continued to suffer.
And Chief Mpepo said the whole thing smacked of malice and that the former head of State was painted black in the eyes of the public.
He said there was prejudice in the manner the law enforcement agencies conducted themselves because they waited for Dr Chiluba to die before going back to court.
“For me I feel mwali ulufyengo (unfairness) in the manner Dr Chiluba and his family were treated because the issue of the assets was clear that they were not acquired through corrupt activities,” he said.
Chief Mpepo called on the family members to appeal and use all the necessary legal channels to get justice.
And Zambia Republican Party president Wright Musoma said Government must do the right thing in the name of justice and hand back the forfeited properties belonging to Dr Chiluba to his family.
Mr Musoma said in an interview in Lusaka that it was a well-known fact that the property belonged to the late President, thus it was unfair for the State to allege that he did not claim it.
“The nation is aware that those forfeited properties belonged to Dr Chiluba and as such they were supposed to be handed to his family. We are appealing to President Hichilema and his government to relook into the issue and give back the property to the family,” Mr Musoma said.
He said that justice was delayed until Dr Chiluba died and it should not be delayed further as the family had endured enough.
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