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Government has engaged legal experts to look at the issue of former president Edgar Lungu drawing tax payers benefits by false pretence when he retired from active politics but later u-turned, authorities have said.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Cornelius Mweetwa, said government wanted to understand whether Lungu committed an offence of obtaining money by false presence which was a criminal offence in the country.
Addressing a media briefing in Lusaka on Friday, Mweetwa said government wanted to understand whether Lungu committed an offence of giving false information when he handed over a letter of retirement from active office to a Public Officer.
He was shocked that the Patriotic Front (PF) had continued to politick on various national issues such as the Constitution because it suites them like they backtracked on the return of Lungu to active politics.
“If they can’t be trusted on things like this which have documentary evidence, how can you trust them on any other thing. This is the same behaviour when they said Lungu has retired from active politics and he begins to draw tax payers money as salary,” Mweetwa questioned.
He wondered why Lungu continued drawing tax payers money when he announced that he had retired but his party had denied by saying he was still active in politics as a former president.
“Those things are still being studied by the legal experts to find establish the way forward because the rule of law is very clear and whoever breaks it must be made accountable,” Mweetwa stated.
Mweetwa said these offences were not covered under the presidential immunity because they were committed at the time Lungu had left office.
He said failure to enforce the law by government was a criminal offence on its part because it swore to protect the Constitution.
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