Zambian opposition figure arrested on corruption charges

Zambian opposition figure arrested on corruption charges

Given Lubinda arrested on 5 counts involving possession of $539,000

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - The leader of Zambia’s main opposition party was arrested Monday on five counts of corruption involving $539,000.

Given Lubinda, the acting president of the Patriotic Front (PF), a former ruling party ousted from power slightly over half a year ago, was charged by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with five counts of possessing property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Queen Chibwe, a commission spokeswoman, told reporters in the capital Lusaka after Lubinda's interrogation that the proceeds included a house worth $260,000 and $100,000, $80,000, $50,000 and $49,990 held in separate bank accounts.

"Mr. Lubinda has since been released on bond and will appear before court soon," said Chibwe.

Lubinda, whose lawyer Jonas Zimba confirmed the charges, told reporters after his interrogation that he was glad to be accorded an opportunity to exculpate himself before the courts.

He accused the government of President Hakainde Hichilema of issuing politically motivated charges.

His arrest came a few days after former President Edgar Lungu indirectly accused Hichilema of hypocrisy in the period leading up to and during last week's funeral of fourth Zambian President Rupiah Banda.

Lungu said there is a lot of hypocrisy because people are saying a lot of good things yet doing bad things.

He said if Zambians learned to engage in dialogue with one another as was experienced during the days of mourning, Zambia would probably “get somewhere as a country.”​​​​​​​

“Dialogue, genuine dialogue between all of us. Those who were in government before, and those who are in now. But what we are seeing is hypocrisy, where people say good things and then do bad things.”

Lungu's comments did not sit well with Hichilema's alliance partners, however, who through a separate statement Monday accused him of a bitter reaction to Hichilema's magnanimity of allowing his predecessor to publicly mourn Banda.

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