LUSAKA, (Reuters) – Former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba was acquitted yesterday of all charges in what was seen as a landmark corruption case against an African former head of state.
Analysts say the ruling could be a setback for Zambia’s fight against graft, but the country’s anti-corruption task force described the case as proof of its determination to fight crime within a strong legal framework.
Zambia has earned praise from Western donors for cracking down on corruption, a policy that critics say is rare in Africa.
The ruling is unlikely to deter investors in Africa’s biggest copper producer.
Chiluba’s co-accused, two business executives, were found guilty of theft and possession of state funds and were each imprisoned for three years.
Lusaka magistrate Jones Chinyama said the prosecution had failed to prove the case against Chiluba, who ruled Zambia for a decade after ousting liberation hero Kenneth Kaunda in multiparty elections in 1991.
The trade unionist turned politician, hailed as a democrat after helping to dismantle Kaunda’s 27 years of socialist single party rule, was charged with stealing nearly $500,000 of public funds.
