Chiluba cleared in Zambia corruption case

Zambia’s former president, Frederick Chiluba, was on Monday cleared of corruption charges in a case that had accused him of embezzling $500 000 in public funds.

“We are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused stole funds,” Judge Jones Chinyama said as he read out the verdict in a six-hour hearing.

The ruling caps Zambia’s six-year prosecution against Chiluba, who had faced a jail term of up to five years.

He has already been convicted in 2007 in a British court of stealing nearly $50-million of state funds along with former aides.

The British court found that while Chiluba officially earned about $100 000 during his 10 years in power, he paid more than $1-million to an exclusive Swiss boutique for flashy suits.—AFP