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Zamb
ian President Levy Mwanawasa said yesterday the country's
embattled top prosecutor is to step down and take no further part
in the corruption trial of former head of state Frederick
Chiluba.
Mwanawasa told reporters that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)
Mukelebai Mukelebai, currently on 45-day leave, would go on to take
a one-year sabbatical and would then retire from his position
because of "serious allegations" against him.
The president said that among the several allegations against
Mukelebai was an accusation that he met with former intelligence
boss, Xavier Chungu - on trial along with Chiluba - to discuss how
to circumvent the corruption charges.
"The allegations against him are most serious and both myself and
the DPP could not with full conscientiousness ignore those
allegations," Mwanawasa said.
Mwanawasa's declaration contradicted a statement Wednesday by his
legal affairs minister, George Kunda that the DPP was on an
ordinary leave and still in charge of the cases against
Chiluba.
The president said he had "no cogent evidence" that the allegations
against Mukelebai were true, but that any suggestion that he should
ignore them would be "both malicious and unfair".
Chiluba and some of his former aides face charges of stealing more
than $40-million from the state during his 1991 to 2001
presidency.
Mwanawasa said he had offered to appoint Mukelebai as either a High
Court or Supreme Court judge after his sabbatical, but that he had
opted for retirement because he wanted to join the private
sector.
He added that Mukelebai had agreed that the corruption cases should
be handled by brothers Mutembo and Nchima Nchito, prosecutors who
had resigned after differing with the DPP but later returned.
Cracks in the prosecution team appeared when they failed to agree
on how to proceed with witnesses during the first part of Chiluba's
trial.
All 13 witnesses called to testify cleared Zambia's former
president, in what was seen as a major setback for the prosecution.
– Sapa-AFP.
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