By Agness Changala
Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha has revealed that some citizens have sued him to compel former President Edgar Lungu to pay back the funds the State paid him when he ‘temporarily retired’ from active politics.
Daily Revelation had information that the government was discussing suing Lungu in court for allegedly obtaining money by false pretenses.
Contacted for comment, Kabesha in an interview, said
[pp-logged-users] the government had not sued Lungu but he had been sued by some citizens who wanted Lungu to pay back all the monies he had been paid.
“The government has not sued Mr Lungu. It is the other way round. I have been sued. They are saying there must be a refund of what he was paid over the period the government started giving him money,” Kabesha said.
Asked approximately how much those citizens were asking for, the Attorney General said: “They don’t know how much it is. They can’t tell because they don’t know how much he was paid and how much the rent was being paid for.”
But Haimbe said the courts will make an appropriate decision should the matter go before them.
“I am not aware of any such discussions. I have however, noted from the media that there are calls from some sections of society to that effect. The court will make an appropriate determination should the matter go that far,” said Haimbe.
In 2021 after losing elections, president Lungu resigned as PF president and wrote to Cabinet informing the office that he was no longer president of the party.
He automatically qualified to receive his benefits per the benefits of the former president.
Cabinet went ahead and started paying him taxpayers’ money and rented a mansion for him from Zambian celebrity and footballer Stophila Sunzu.
However, last week during the memorial of his predecessor Micheal Chilufya Sata, Lungu announced his return to active politics.
He said he was ready to face the consequences that will come with the decision he had made.
Few days later, he moved out of the house the government was renting for him.[/pp-logged-users]
