Keypoints:
- Judges rule wealth was ‘unexplained’ and order forfeiture
- 79 vehicles and 23 premium properties seized
- Lawyers confirm they will launch an appeal
ZAMBIA’S High Court has ordered the forfeiture of assets worth more than $1.3 million from Dalitso Lungu, the son of former president Edgar Lungu, in a landmark unexplained-wealth case that is deepening political tensions and testing the country’s anti-corruption drive.
The decision, delivered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the High Court, targets a portfolio that includes 79 vehicles and 23 high-value properties in and around Lusaka — among them a shopping mall, a petrol station, luxury apartments and what judges described as an ‘executive residence’.
The scale of the assets, combined with the absence of credible documentation, persuaded the court that they could not have been lawfully acquired.
Why this matters
This case is about more than property. It is a central pillar of President Hakainde Hichilema’s campaign against illicit enrichment, a legal challenge to the legacy of the Lungu era, and part of a broader confrontation between the current administration and a family still locked in a bitter dispute with the state over the burial of a former head of government.
What the judges found
In a forensic review of Dalitso Lungu’s finances, the court examined his employment history and income. Evidence showed he worked briefly at a Lusaka beverages company in 2012 before spending almost three years at the Zambia Revenue Authority.
Judges concluded that these earnings were insufficient — even when combined — to explain ownership of an extensive fleet of high-end vehicles and multimillion-dollar real estate.
Investigators also scrutinised his company, Saloid Traders Limited. Its financial statements, tax filings, bank records and social security contributions, the court said, did not demonstrate the capacity to lawfully acquire or sustain the contested assets.
Defence claims that the properties were funded through commercial farming, business revenue or family support were rejected because no verifiable documentation was provided.
In a pointed passage, the bench ruled that 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’.
Appeal expected
Dalitso Lungu’s legal team has confirmed it will appeal against Monday’s ruling, meaning the case is likely to move to higher courts and could take months — if not years — to resolve.
A family already under scrutiny
The decision forms part of a wider pattern of cases against the Lungu family. In 2024, the High Court ordered former first lady Esther Lungu to forfeit 15 flats valued at $3.5 million, a ruling she is also contesting.
Critics of the government argue that these actions are politically motivated. The administration insists they are necessary to recover stolen public wealth and restore trust in state institutions.
The unresolved burial dispute
Hovering over the legal battles is the unresolved fate of Edgar Lungu’s remains. The former president, who governed Zambia from 2015 until his defeat in the 2021 elections, died in South Africa last June from an undisclosed illness.
His body remains in a Johannesburg funeral home while courts in both countries consider where he should be buried.
Hichilema’s government wants a state funeral in Zambia with full honours — a position upheld by a South African court in August. Esther Lungu, however, is pursuing a private burial in South Africa, arguing that her husband did not wish for his successor to attend the funeral.
She has now filed a fresh notice of appeal at South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein after earlier challenges failed.
What comes next
If the asset seizure is upheld, it will significantly strengthen the government’s anti-corruption narrative. If overturned, it could fuel claims that the campaign is selective and politically charged.
For now, Zambia is witnessing a rare collision of law, politics and family legacy — with millions of dollars in property and the memory of a former president at stake.
