Zambia’s former president Frederick Chiluba was charged on Tuesday with stealing $29-million of public funds and committing dozens of other offences while in office, police said.
The head of the investigation told reporters that the former president would appear in court on August 27 to answer a total of 48 charges.
According to one of the charges, $29-million was diverted from the finance ministry and deposited into the state intelligency agency’s account in Britain.
Chiluba, who left office in 2001, already faces 60 other charges relating to corruption and diversion of state funds during his 10 years as president of this southern African country.
He was due in court later on Tuesday on an application to have these charges tried in the High Court, arguing that he will not get a fair hearing if he is tried in a lower court.
Chiluba, who is currently free on bail, is jointly charged with former intelligence chief Xavier Chunga and Atan Shansonga, a former ambassador to the United States.
The former Zambian president was arrested in February this year along with other top officials in his government on charges of abuse of office, theft and corruption. – Sapa-AFP