Zambia's ex-president Frederick Chiluba, known for flashy suits and custom elevator shoes, on Monday was cleared of charges that he embezzled 500,000 dollars in public funds during his decade in power. "We are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused stole funds," judge Jones Chinyama said as he read out the verdict in a six-hour hearing.
The ruling caps Zambia's six-year prosecution against Chiluba, who had faced a jail term of up to five years. He has already been convicted in 2007 in a British court of stealing nearly 50 million dollars of state funds along with former aides.
The British court found that while Chiluba officially earned about 100,000 dollars during his 10 years in power, he paid more than one million dollars to an exclusive Swiss boutique for flashy suits. Chiluba, dressed in a green suit with matching green shoes, cried as the verdict was the read, while his supporters burst into song and cheers.
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