The London High Court has frozen 13 million pounds ($24-million) worth of assets held in Britain by former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba and four other government officials on trial in Lusaka for theft and corruption, the government said on Tuesday.
The court order on November 24 was issued at the request of the Zambian Justice Minister and Attorney General George Kunda, said Mpanzi Sinyangwe, a spokesperson for the government’s task force on corruption.
It remains in effect until January 12, when the London High Court will hear arguments from representatives of the Zambian government and Chiluba.
Sinyangwe did not provide details about the assets that were frozen. Chiluba and his lawyers declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday.
Chiluba, Zambia’s first democratically elected president, lead this impoverished southern African country for 10 years until he retired in January 2002.
He has pleaded innocent with four other former government officials and two businessmen to 169 counts of corruption, abuse of power and theft totaling $43-million. He has also pleaded innocent to 65 counts of theft totaling about $3,5-million in a separate case.
President Levy Mwanawasa, Chiluba’s hand-picked successor, has pledged to fight corruption despite opposition from within his own party, still loyal to Chiluba. – Sapa-AP