Focus on anti-corruption campaign

An anti-corruption campaign by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has helped transform his image from dubious victor in an illegitimate election, to that of a crusader out to cleanse the country of his predecessor's alleged sleaze. But human rights groups have begun to voice concern that the investigations are increasingly looking like a witch-hunt aimed at settling old political scores. Last week, the former intelligence director, Xavier Chungu, became the latest senior figure to fall foul of the government's "Task Force". He was arrested after an escapade worthy of his profession, in which he allegedly stole a motorbike to make a rendezvous with an aircraft flown by a South African pilot hired to whisk him out of the country. Chungu, who had been arrested three times previously and was out on bail, was jailed by a local magistrate on Monday on the grounds that he could try again to flee to avoid a high-profile corruption trial. Chungu has been under investigation over the misappropriation of about US $6 million from an intelligence account held at the Zambia National Commercial Bank in London under the name of Zamtrop, for which he was the sole signatory. The government would also like help with other financial scandals. These include undervalued cobalt sales in which Zambia lost $60 million, and a botched military deal which cost a reported $25 million. Chungu was reportedly a close associate of former president Frederick Chiluba, who had sponsored Mwanawasa as the presidential candidate of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) last year, after sections of the party rebelled against Chiluba's seeking an unconstitutional third term. Mwanawasa's December election victory was viewed as flawed by international observers. Amid intense local and international pressure over the conduct of the polls, Mwanawasa, who had been accused by the opposition of being Chiluba's acolyte, began to set his own political agenda and ordered corruption investigations. The government has made it clear that the ultimate target is Chiluba. In July, Mwanawasa accused his predecessor of abuse of office, but said he would stop any prosecution if Chiluba returned assets he had allegedly stolen. Parliament then lifted Chiluba's immunity, clearing the way for him to stand trial if charges were laid against him. Chiluba has since fought a desperate legal rearguard action. "The problem for the government is that they might not have enough evidence. They have not been able to catch Chiluba with his hand in the till, so they don't really have a case. So they think that by breaking Chungu, that's the key," one analyst, who asked not to be named, told IRIN. As the government has increased the pressure on Chiluba's associates, previously supportive human rights groups have begun to question the manner in which the investigations have been carried out. They have pointed to the use of non-bailable offences such as vehicle theft, and search warrants secured from the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) rather than magistrates, as a sign that the inquiry has turned into a dragnet. Recent raids on the homes of Chiluba and his attorneys by a combined team of DEC officers, police, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the state intelligence service, have reinforced their concern. The search on Chiluba's house yielded little - two licensed firearms and some shredded paper. "I have no sympathy for thieves and people involved in corruption. But if investigations into allegations of corruption become selective, like now, rather than thorough, I get concerned," said Fred Mutesa, a political analyst with the University of Zambia's Department of Development Studies. Law Association of Zambia president, Michael Musonda, said the raid on Chiluba's lawyers was illegal. Lawyers had the right to represent a client without being harassed, he said. Condemnation of the manner in which the searches have been conducted reached a crescendo following Task Force raids on former government spokesman and MMD national secretary, Vernon Mwaanga, and an opposition leader, Ben Mwila, a former minister of defence. "These searches must be conducted in a civil manner without instilling fear in citizens," Ngande Mwanajiti, the executive director of the Inter Africa Network for Human Rights and Development, told IRIN. "To us, its beginning to look like the task force is on a fishing expedition targeted at the opposition." "President Mwanawasa must learn from the mistakes Chiluba made. Chiluba harassed NGOs, opposition and journalists. He [Mwanawasa] seems to be leaning towards that, and it could be bad for him too. This is supposed to be a democracy and therefore people's rights must be respected," he added. But DEC Assistant Commissioner Nason Banda has defended the conduct of the Task Force. "We are just doing an honest investigation into the plunder of the national economy over the past 10 years ... We will continue these investigations until we reach a conclusive end," he told IRIN. According to an opposition MP, Dipak Patel - one of four people facing a libel suit brought by Chiluba last year after they accused him of being a "thief" - the government's investigations have been into "the people implicated in the scams. You don't see innocent civilians being searched needlessly". However, Mwanawasa's detractors have alleged that the government's investigations could also be linked to Supreme Court petitions, filed by opposition parties after Mwanawasa's election victory, which are due to be heard on 16 September. The European Union and the Carter Centre both described the December polls as seriously flawed, and critics have suggested that among the documents seized by the Task Force has been "evidence" of vote buying. "Frederick Chiluba has said that one of his biggest regrets was picking Mwanawasa to stand [as MMD electoral candidate]. Chiluba might have evidence of how the election was manipulated, as there is no doubt the election was manipulated," said Mwanajiti.