By Isaac Zulu
Political scientist Dr Alex Ng’oma has said that Vice President Mutale Nalumango is right to state that former president Edgar Lungu is not immune from investigations.
Dr Ng’oma, in an interview, explained that the response that the Vice President gave to some Patriot Front members of parliament during the Vice President’s Question Time in Parliament last Friday is justifiable, but was quick to say that Nalumango should have have been more elaborate to state that even the current Head of State and the Vice President are not immune from investigations.
“The Vice President is right. But I think that the Vice President should have been more elaborate and mention that former president Edgar Lungu former Vice President, the current Vice President, and the sitting Head of State are subject to investigations,” Dr Ng’oma explained.
He also explained that the in matured democracies like the United States of America, sitting Presidents are probed while serving as the Head of State, saying this should not be a strange phenomenon in Zambia.
“You remember that when Donald Trump was the US President, he was being investigated by the FBI for allegedly being involved in criminal activities whilst serving as the President of that country,” Dr said. “The biggest challenge we have here in Zambia is that the people heading those investigative wings are appointed by the President. And because of that, they feel they cannot investigate him because he is the appointing authority and their boss.”
Asked if the investigation of former Presidents and prosecutions are feasible and attainable in a young democracy like Zambia; and if he could cite a specific Constitutional provision that provides for the investigation against the Head of State in Zambia, Dr Ng’oma said he is not a legal counsel and would, therefore, not be in a position to given a legal opinion on behalf of the legal minds.
“Like I have said, I don’t want to ignite more debate on this particular matter. I am not a lawyer. But what I have told you is politically correct,” said Dr Ng’oma.
1 Comment