Zambia has frozen properties owned by former President Frederick Chiluba and six former senior government officials in Britain and other countries abroad, a senior anti-graft official said on Monday. Mpazi Sinyangwe, the anti-corruption taskforce spokesman, said Zambia was granted permission by a London court to freeze properties owned by Chiluba, former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu and some senior officials who served in Chiluba's government.
Sinyangwe said Attorney General George Kunda was granted an order to freeze the properties on November 24 and that the matter would come up for hearing on January 12.
Sinyangwe said the properties were scattered world-wide, but he gave no further details in order to allow the court process to take its course in London.
The task force said in April it had identified office buildings and houses which the suspects owned in Britain, Belgium and other countries which it said the government intended to seize as they were believed to have been purchased using state funds.
In 2002, Zambia President levy Mwanawasa launched the country's biggest anti-corruption crackdown since independence from Britain in 1964, targeting his former mentor Chiluba and former senior government officials.
Chiluba has previously denied any wrong-doing and accuses Mwanawasa of launching a political witch-hunt.
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