Zambia’s High Court has ordered the seizure of assets worth more than $1.3m (£923,000) from Dalitso Lungu, the son of former President Edgar Lungu. The forfeiture order covers 79 vehicles and 23 pieces of land and real estate, including a shopping mall, petrol station, “luxury apartments and an executive residence” in the capital, Lusaka. The judgement said the 39-year-old and his company had failed to provide a credible and verifiable explanation for how the assets were acquired lawfully.
Edgar Lungu, who led Zambia for six years from 2015, died in South Africa last June but has yet to be buried because of an ongoing legal battle between his family and the current government. It follows a long-standing feud between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, who defeated him in the 2021 elections by a huge margin. Hichilema’s government wants his remains to be repatriated and given a state funeral, with full state honours – and a South African court ruled in their favour in August.
But the family wants a private burial in South Africa as they say the former president had not wanted Hichilema to attend his funeral. Dalitso Lungu’s lawyers have indicated they will appeal against Monday’s ruling by the Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the High Court. In assessing Lungu’s financial capacity, the court examined his employment history and income. Evidence showed that he worked briefly at a beverages company in Lusaka in 2012 and later spent nearly three years at the Zambia Revenue Authority.
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