Zambia’s High Court has ordered the forfeiture of assets worth more than US$1.3 million belonging to the son of former president Edgar Lungu in a ruling that intensifies scrutiny of the former first family amid an ongoing standoff with the government.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Division ruled on Tuesday that Dalitso Lungu, 39, failed to provide credible evidence showing how he lawfully acquired 79 vehicles and 23 properties, including a shopping mall, petrol station, luxury apartments and an executive residence in Lusaka.
The court found that his employment history and income – limited to brief stints at a beverages company and the Zambia Revenue Authority – were insufficient to justify the scale of his assets.
Financial records for his company, Saloid Traders Limited, also failed to demonstrate capacity to purchase or maintain the properties.
Claims that the assets were financed through commercial farming, business income or family support were dismissed due to lack of documentation.
Dalitso’s lawyers have indicated they will appeal the ruling.
The judgment comes as tensions remain high between the Lungu family and President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration over the repatriation of Edgar Lungu’s remains.
The former president died in South Africa in June last year but his body has not been buried due to a protracted dispute.
The government insists he should be returned to Zambia for a state funeral with full honours, a position backed by a South African court ruling in August.
However, the Lungu family has resisted, arguing that the late leader wished to be buried privately in South Africa and did not want Hichilema to attend his funeral.
The impasse has deepened long‑standing political hostilities between the two sides, dating back to Hichilema’s landslide victory over Lungu in the 2021 elections.
JN/APA