Former Zambian President Cleared of Corruption Charges

In Zambia, former President Frederick Chiluba was cleared of corruption charges after six years in what was considered a landmark case.

Former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba was acquitted of charges by a court in Lusaka on Monday (August 17).  It was seen as a landmark corruption case against an ex-African head of state. Chiluba was charged with embezzling nearly 500,000 U.S. dollars of public funds during his 10-year presidency. The judge ruled that the funds could not be traced to government money. His co-accused, two business executives, were found guilty of theft and possession of state funds. They were each imprisoned for three years. Despite the corruption case, Chiluba still enjoys support from the poor. He says he is the victim of a witch hunt. After the verdict was announced, he spoke at a news conference. [Frederick Chiluba, Former Zambian President]: "I said sometime back that I stand on a rock and whoever plays with that rock it will crush him. Some people laughed but I shall laugh last." Zambia has earned praise from Western donors for cracking down on corruption. In the past six years, Zambia has jailed several prominent figures, including senior officials and ministers who served under Chiluba's administration, which ended in 2001.

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