ZAMBIA: First democratically elected President, Frederick Chiluba, laid to rest in Lusaka after a week of mourning

Record ID: 860206

  • Title: ZAMBIA: First democratically elected President, Frederick Chiluba, laid to rest in Lusaka after a week of mourning
  • Date: 28th June 2011
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 13th July 2011 13:00
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  • Location: Zambia, Zambia
  • City:
  • Country: Zambia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3LEQT5PWP9MB3G0K5A4Y7SFE8
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  • Story Text: Frederick Chiluba, Zambia's first democratically elected president, who fought off corruption charges after standing down, was buried in Lusaka on Monday (June 27), a week after he died aged 68.
    Chiluba suffered from a chronic heart problem and had been hospitalised in the past.
    A former trade unionist, Chiluba led the copper-rich country for just over a decade after defeating liberation hero Kenneth Kaunda in multi-party elections in 1991.
    Hailed as a democrat for helping dismantle Kaunda's socialist single-party rule of 27 years, Chiluba was later charged with stealing nearly 500,000 US dollars of public funds.
    "Above all we should uphold the good things that he has done and the legacy he has left for the history of this country, for the history of our children and for the history of Africa," Benjamin Mkapa, former Tanzanian President said at the burial ceremony.
    Chiluba was acquitted of all charges in 2009, while two business executives accused with him were found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.
    Chiluba's wife, Regina Mwanza, was last year acquitted by a Zambian high court of graft charges. Foreign governments, including the United States, questioned Zambia's commitment to fighting graft after the ruling.
    In 2007 a British judge ordered Chiluba to repay 58 million US dollars to compensate for money he was accused of stealing during his time in power.
    That ruling, initially seen as a turning point in Africa's fight against corruption, was made after Zambian officials filed a civil case in London to recover assets owned by Chiluba and his associates in Britain and other European countries. A Zambian court later decided that local laws did not allow the enforcement of overseas rulings.
    Chiluba remained a close ally of the current president, Rupiah Banda, whose anti-corruption credentials were questioned after his government refused to appeal Chiluba's acquittal.
    Despite the controversy, Chiluba remained a popular figure in Zambia, one of the world's poorest countries.
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