Zambia’s High Court has directed the confiscation of assets valued at over $1.3m (£923,000) from Dalitso Lungu, son of former President Edgar Lungu.
The forfeiture order includes 79 vehicles and 23 parcels of land and property, among them a shopping mall, petrol station, “luxury apartments and an executive residence” in Lusaka, the capital.
In its ruling, the court stated that the 39-year-old and his company did not present a credible or verifiable explanation proving the lawful acquisition of the assets.
Edgar Lungu, who governed Zambia for six years from 2015, passed away in South Africa last June but has not yet been laid to rest due to an ongoing legal dispute between his family and the current administration.
It comes amid a prolonged rivalry between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema, who defeated him decisively in the 2021 elections.
Hichilema’s administration is seeking the return of Lungu’s remains for a state burial with full honours, and a South African court ruled in its favour in August.
However, the family insists on a private burial in South Africa, maintaining that the former president did not want Hichilema present at his funeral.
Dalitso Lungu’s legal team has signalled plans to challenge Monday’s decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the High Court.
While evaluating his financial standing, the court reviewed his employment background and income records.
Evidence presented showed he briefly worked at a beverage company in Lusaka in 2012 and later spent close to three years at the Zambia Revenue Authority.
The judges determined that his combined earnings could not justify the purchase of the large number of vehicles and high-value properties.
Investigations into his firm, Saloid Traders Limited, revealed that its financial statements, tax filings, bank documentation and social security records did not indicate the ability to legally obtain or sustain the assets in question.
Assertions that the properties were funded through commercial farming, business revenue or family assistance were dismissed due to lack of supporting evidence.
“[Dalitso] Lungu has failed to proffer further and solid evidence to substantiate his claims that Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, and indeed his parents, were the source of the funds used to purchase the impugned properties,” the judges ruled.
Other members of the Lungu family have in recent years also faced investigations over allegations of illicitly acquired wealth.
In 2024, the high court ordered the former first lady, Esther Lungu, to forfeit 15 flats valued at $3.5m.
Critics argue that the anti-corruption campaign is politically driven.
Mrs Lungu has remained in South Africa since her husband’s death from an undisclosed illness.
She is spearheading legal moves to ensure he is buried in South Africa and has recently filed a notice at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein seeking to overturn the earlier ruling directing that his body be returned to Zambia.
Previous efforts by the family to secure permission to appeal at various South African courts were unsuccessful.
Lungu’s body remains in a funeral home in Johannesburg.