Global Policy Forum

Zambia's former president Frederick Chiluba denied siphoning off $488 000 (about R3-million) when he was in power as a hearing into a new corruption case against him started on Monday in the capital, Lusaka. Chiluba appeared in a local magistrate's court where he was jointly charged with two businessmen for the alleged theft of $488 000 from state coffers when he ruled the southern African country between 1991 and 2001.

The embattled former head of state was initially charged last year with stealing 41 million dollars but the case against him was withdrawn last month. "I understand the count, your honour, and I deny the charge," Chiluba told magistrate Jones Chinyama. An immaculately dressed Chiluba, who stood in the dock for about 30 minutes, kept smiling when Chinyama read out the six criminal counts on the indictment.

In the latest case, Chiluba and his two co-defendants are accused of spiriting away a total of one million dollars. The two businessmen face nine counts out of which six also involve Chiluba. Chiluba's co-defendants, Faustin Kabwe, 55, and Aaron Chungu, 41, also denied stealing state funds using their private financial firm, Access Financial Services, which the government has since closed down. Scores of his relatives and supporters of the newly formed Party for Unity, Democracy and Development (PUDD), which is linked to Chiluba also attended the court session to give support to the former president. Legal experts say most of the charges against Chiluba may not succeed due to lack of credible evidence especially since most of the alleged transactions were conducted by Zambia's ex-intelligence chief Xavier Chungu, who fled the country in May.