May 7, 2007
News from the BBC tells us the former president of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba stole 43 millions $US from public zambian funds:
Zambia’s ex-President Frederick Chiluba has been found guilty of stealing $46m (£23m) of public money by a UK court.
The judge said that Zambians should know that when he appeared wearing his
trademark designer clothes, they were paid for with stolen money.
Mr Chiluba’s spokesman told a Zambian newspaper that the ex-leader did not accept the court’s jurisdiction.
Mr Chiluba was not in the London High Court but the ruling could lead to the seizure of his assets.
The civil case was brought on behalf of the Zambian attorney general.
Swiss boutique
Justice Peter Smith said Mr Chiluba had a global reputation as a “smart and expensive dresser”, with his “FJT” monogram on shirts and suits and specially made shoes with high heels.
He officially earned about $100,000 while in power from 1991-2001 and yet he paid an exclusive boutique shop in Switzerland $1.2m.
“This was at a time when the vast majority of Zambians were struggling to live on $1 a day and many could not afford more than one meal a day,” the judge said.
Two years ago, he was furious when hundreds of his designer suits, shirts and shoes were seized from a warehouse where he had stored them.
“What they have done is to bring my underpants out to the general public,” Mr Chiluba told reporters.
Mr Chiluba laundered the money through two London-based law firms, the judge said.
The UK government backed the Zambian law suit and International Development Secretary Hilary Benn welcomed the court ruling.
“This is an historic victory for the people of Zambia and shows their commitment to bringing those who steal from the state to account - however powerful they are,” he said.
“The money recovered can now be returned to the government of Zambia to be invested in the people’s future - such as education or clean drinking water for some of the 7m Zambians living in poverty.”
Unfit for trial
Before the ruling, Mr Chiluba’s spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba told Zambia’s The Post newspaper that local courts should handle any prosecutions.
“Dr Chiluba has refused to recognise the jurisdiction and authority of the London court. He has stated that he will not submit himself to its findings,” Mr Mwamba said.
He has always denied the allegations.
A Zambian court last year ruled that Mr Chiluba was medically unfit to stand trial on corruption charges.
Mr Chiluba, a former trade union leader, ended 31 years of one-party rule when he won the 1991 elections.
He was defeated in an attempt to change the constitution to let him seek a third term in 2001.
His handpicked successor, President Levy Mwanawasa, has been pursuing an anti-corruption drive against Mr Chiluba’s former government.
Mr Mwanawasa said that he would grant a presidential pardon to Mr Chiluba if he admitted the allegations of corruption and returned 75% of the cash he allegedly stole.
President Levy Mwanawasa has led a fight against corruption … thanks a trillion
May 8, 2007 at 12:54 am
FTJ had it coming, he just has to humble himself and ask for forgiveness from the Zambian people, they are quite forgiving actuall.
May 14, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Kevin,
… FTJ needs to come clean and not play on people’s emotions because that is tantamount to questioning their intelligence; while the appointment of a British court has a very stern smudge on our Zambian legal system and or sovereignty, the diametric assumptions leading to his convictions have a bearing on FTJ’s ability to appeal and or fight this the legal way or to simply comply and trust that HE would come through with a pardon as promise after he returns 75% of the purported stolen property (monetary in this case) belonging to the poor in Kantolomba, Kabushi and Twapwa etc … thanks a trillion
June 5, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Mr. Chiluba should humble himself and admit like the first writer has said. I feel pity for the man that he had to go through all this. But if he had said yes from the very start, chiluba would not have felt humiliated. But on our part, we must remember that we are all sinners and we can make mistakes sometimes big mistake. Let us remember the good the man did for us
June 5, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Emelda Chanda,
… interesting phenomenon and no one could have said it better. People have very short term memory when it comes to remembering the good one ever did, if the same individual wants to act self righteously currently.
Look at Bill Clinton for instance, the guy came out and admitted he misled the nation. When asked about it, he constantly reminds the questioner that it was a lapse of judgment on his part. And he now brags of being known as the world’s famous sinner …
Like my dad always said, meekness is not weakness … the sooner the former head of state realizes that the better his legacy otherwise, twenty years down the road when people talk of FTJ, the only thing they would remember would be the worst in him and yet there one time was the best in him every one was proud of … thanks a trillion.
May 29, 2008 at 8:55 am
I appreciate the comments given by the other readers. I however wish to to say that I am strongly agreeing with what President Mwanawasa has said, that Chiluba should bring back state assets.Officially we are told that the man stole $43m, who knows the other money he gave to his henchmen?
It is painful to have people who purport to be saviours and yet what they do is evil.Shame upon Chiluba and his surrogates.Zambia is for all and not just a few greedy elements. No wonder he wanted to go on for third term, following his remarks that trully “Power is sweet”.Naturally bad things overshadows good things.He might as well have brought manner from heaven, but we will always think that he did them with a hidden agenda.I salute fellow Zambians for being true Christians. Else where I know, Chiluba”s hands should have been amputated for picking the money and his head chopped off, for masterminding the thefty. GOD BLESS ZAMBIA AND ITS LEADERSHIP.