By NATION REPORTER
IT is lawlessness for the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and other State agents to continue harassing me, my family and the entire Patriotic Front leadership on the false perception that I led a corrupt government, former Republican President Edgar Lungu has said.
“For one year, we in the PF have been called criminals, that I led a group of thieves, looters. If he (President Hakainde Hichilema) has evidence, let him prove it so that we can account collectively or I should answer as a leader,” former presidentLungu said.
The former Head of State says he is ready to have his day in court and has therefore asked President Hakainde Hichilema initiate the process of lifting his immunity by going to Parliament to lay a case against him.
Former President Lungu said he has had enough of witch-hunt and name-calling and would like President Hichilema prove in Parliament what crime he (President Lungu) had committed.
Mr Lungu has vowed that he would not continue to subscribe to lawlessness and is ready to testify over matters for which the State has commenced criminal proceedings with total disregard to the rule of law.
He said Zambia was courting lawlessness and unless the UPND government initiated the process of removing his immunity, the criminal proceedings state agents had commenced were in total breach of the rule of law.
He said President Hichilema had been preaching rule of law yet all his actions were pointing to the fact that there had been a breakdown in the rule of law.
And the former Head of State has charged that the United Party for National Development (UPND) government has been working hard to create a false perception that he (President Lungu) was running a kleptocratic government.
Mr Lungu said Drug Enforcement Commission director general was playing games by her ever raids at the properties of his relatives including those of his children.
Addressing some PF Members of Parliament (PF) and other officials who visited his residence to offer solidarity after the DEC seized Crest Lodge and later lifted the seizure and the subsequent raid at the property of his relative yesterday, former President Lungu declared that enough was enough and was ready to have his immunity lifted so that President Hichilema could prove his allegations
The former Head of State was yesterday forced to have a faceoff with law enforcement agencies officers who had raided his property in New Kasama barely 48 hours after the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) seized Crest Loge which they wrongly believed was owned by the former Head of State.
The State seem to be determined to have former Lungu arraigned as it is escalating its searches and investigations against the former Head of Stater, completely disregarding his immunity from prosecution.
But yesterday’s raid at a property of one of his relatives in New Kasama was but too much that the former Head of State could tolerate as he openly told the state agents that they had started victimizing and harassing innocent citizens only that they were associated with him.
“They want to create a false perception that I was leading a kleptocratic government. Sometimes, enough is enough. I am ready to testify. I shall not subscribe to lawlessness. They have no courage to approach me. Mary Chirwa is an accomplished investigator and she should have done better. She is playing games,” former President Lungu said.
And Leader of the Opposition Brian Mundubile has accused President Hakainde Hichilema of having failed to exhibit fidelity to the rule of law and had started governing the country by the rule of man. Mr Mundubile however said the PF Members of Parliament shall do all it would take to defend the constitution and President Lungu from being maliciously being victimized by the UPND government.
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