Immunity plot sponsored - Malanji

MANOEUVRES to lift former President Edgar Lungu’s immunity are being sponsored but it is high time Zambians started respecting the Presidency, former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji has said.

Mr. Malanji said Zambians cannot take seriously demands from small ordinary groups of people such as the ones who protested last week demanding that President Hakainde Hichilema moves a motion in Parliament to remove Mr Lungu’s immunity.

He said it was clear that the groups were being sponsored and had been paid to do so.

“We can’t be listening to people who make such moves simply because they have been given a ngwee to do so,” Mr Malanji said.

He said it was so unfortunate that in this country when the president was out of office every molecule wanted to engage the sitting president to remove the immunity of the predecessor.

Mr. Malanji said Zambians should learn to respect the Presidency because it had so many complex issues attached to it.

He said it can only be prudent that Zambians start respecting the heads of State during their time in office and after they are out of power. Mr. Malanji said President Lungu did a lot of things for this country that were benefitting a lot of people including the same ones who were protesting for his immunity to be lifted.

He said the moves being taken to remove the former president’s immunity were unrealistic and a very cheap political route to take.

Some United Party for National Development members presented a petition to President Hichilema demanding the stripping of Mr Lungu’s immunity to pave way for investigations into alleged corruption cases.