By NATION REPORTER
THE seizure notice imposed on a lodge believed to belong to former Republican President Edgar Lungu has been lifted, Mary Chirwa, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Director General has announced.
DEC had seized Crest Lodge on the belief that the property belonged to former President Lungu.
But yesterday, the DEC in a short statement said it had lifted the seizure following the exhaustion of its investigations on the property and the discovery that it did not belong to President Lungu.
Ms Chirwa stated that after conducting its verification exercise, the DEC discovered that the property sitting on LUS/38478 was in fact under a Mr Charles Phiri and not President Lungu as earlier announced.
She said although DEC had issued the seizure notice in the names of President Lungu, the verification exercise had revealed and confirmed that in fact the property in question was under Mr Phiri.
“As you may be aware, the caption notice of the seizure was issued on the property in the name of His Excellency, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Following the establishment that the verified property is sitting on LUS/38478 under Mr Charles Phiri, we write to inform you that the notice of seizure which was issued in the names of His Excellency has been lifted,” Ms Chirwa said.
And the Patriotic Front (PF) has accused Ms Chirwa of having breached the constitution by conducting investigation against President Lungu when he was still enjoying his immunity from prosecution.
Mr Davis Chama, the PF national chairperson said President Hakainde Hichilema knew about the investigations against his predecessor and could have breached the constitution by allowing the DEC to seize a property believed to belong to his predecessor before his immunity from prosecution could be lifted.
He said the DEC officers including the Director General should be made to account for violating the constitutional provisions that stipulate that a former president was protected from investigations and prosecution through the immunity.
Mr Chama said Ms Chirwa abrogated the law because she had no authority to start investigating President Lungu before his immunity could be lifted.
He said President Hichilema should not continue to protect Ms Chirwa as she had proved that she was unable to manage the institution without controversy.
If the President abrogates the Constitution, he will be impeached. It follows therefore that any officer who breaches the constitution must face the full wrath of the law.
Mr Chama said that people were now wondering whether DEC had competent lawyers because there was no way they could seize property belonging to a former Head of State who enjoyed immunity.
