And Dr Chiluba has questioned why former Ministry of Health permanent secretary Simon Miti chartered a faulty plane when he (Dr Chiluba) was evacuated to South Africa for treatment.
Dr Chiluba said he is saddened about the conviction of Dr Kalumba and others because they were his right-hand officials during his tenure of office.
He said it is immoral for some people, who include Kafulafuta member of Parliament George Mpombo and Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata, to mock him over the matter by asking him to celebrate the conviction of Dr Kalumba.
Dr Chiluba said this in an interview with journalists after attending a church service at the Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) in Matero yesterday.
He said contrary to the insinuations, he is not happy or celebrating over the conviction of Dr Kalumba and others because they are his comrades.
“Whether Mr Mpombo or other people commented or not over this matter, I cannot be happy, neither can I smile or dance over the conviction because those were my friends.
“They were not my key advisors but were my comrades and right-hand men and we worked together,” he said.
Dr Chiluba, however, said as a democrat, he is not in the habit of interfering with the work of the courts of law.
He said he cannot argue the case because of security reasons.
“Dr Kalumba and others are my friends and we worked together but now that they have been found in this situation, I do not want to argue the case for security reasons,” he said.
Last week, Mr Sata challenged Dr Chiluba to celebrate the conviction of Dr Kalumba just as he celebrated his acquittal.
Dr Kalumba, who is former Minister of Finance, and three others were last week jailed five years with hard labour for corrupt practices.
Those jailed are former Ministry of Finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda and former defunct Access Financial Services Limited directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu.
Dr Kalumba and the three others have, however, been released from prison after the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court granted them K500 million bail each in their own recognisance.
Meanwhile, Dr Chiluba has questioned why Dr Miti chartered a faulty plane when he was evacuated to South Africa for treatment.
Dr Chiluba asked the question during a church service when he gave a testimony of his life and heart problem.
He said the plane, which Dr Miti claimed was a medical airbus, had no toilet or bed.
Dr Chiluba said he does not understand the logic by Dr Miti to have hired an old plane for an emergency, adding that the flight took four hours as opposed to the usual two hours from Lusaka to South Africa.
“Thank God that my wife and I are still alive…it does not make sense to hire an old plane for a person whose heart is running at 12 percent instead of the normal 70-100 percent.
“The little old plane hired by Dr Miti was faulty because barely 30 minutes after departure, one engine blew off and everyone on the plane, including the pilots, started panicking but I was calm because I prayed to God,” Dr Chiluba said.
He said after the plane developed a fault, the nurse on board panicked and confessed that the plane was not a medical airbus.
“I wondered why the plane, which looked like a wheelbarrow was chartered for me but I think this was another attempt by the devil to weaken me. I thank God we arrived safely,” he said.
Dr Chiluba said he is not accusing anyone of attempting to take his life but was questioning the logic of hiring a ‘finished plane’ to evacuate him to South Africa.
He said he has experienced God’s love and goodness as He has seen him through his heart problem.
“It is now five years when the doctors told me I had a heart problem which is incurable and that I was going to die.
“My heart condition was deteriorating everyday and I spent sleepless nights because I had to be in a sitting position because if I had to sleep on the bed, I would have died. But my wife and I prayed even without faith sometimes because we wanted God to hear and he did. That’s why I am still alive,” he said.
Dr Chiluba thanked the church and other members of the public who prayed for his healing.
[Zambia Daily Mail]