Law Does Prevail

Feb 21, 2003

FORMER Zambian President Frederick Chiluba has been picked up for questioning in connection with corruption allegations.

FORMER Zambian President Frederick Chiluba has been picked up for questioning in connection with corruption allegations.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, in South America, a former intelligence chief and right-hand man of ex-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has began facing trial on numerous charges of abuse of office.

Vladimiro Montesinos faces a total of 57 counts, including influence peddling, drug trafficking, embezzlement and human rights abuses. He faces life imprisonment if found guilty.

The Zambian Supreme Court, meanwhile, declined to reinstate Chiluba’s immunity from prosecution that the country’s Parliament had lifted last year. While he has not yet been charged, many former officials in the administration Chiluba led for ten years are facing corruption charges.

The two developments show that not all really need to be lost in respective countries’ war on abuse of office by powerful individuals. In Uganda, we still have numerous examples of people who are yet to be brought to book for embezzlement, human rights abuses and other forms of corruption in past administrations. There may also yet be some who are now corrupt and will have to be brought to account sooner or later. There is a lesson in this for us all.

Peru and Zambia have shown that where there is a will, the law does, ultimately, prevail. But true justice should not have to wait for a change of government — it is expected to apply continually, without a break, irrespective of which administration is in power and which has lost control of government.
Ends

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