Ex-Zambian President’s Son Appeals Mobile Theft Jail Sentence

The son of former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba has appealed after he was sentenced to eight months’ hard labour for stealing a mobile phone.

Frederick Chiluba Jr was sentenced two weeks ago after being found guilty of stealing a Samsung S7 edge, valued at $843 (£626).

The Lusaka Magistrate court heard how Chiluba Jr stole the device from a woman, Brenda Chisha, on September 2, 2017 before trading it for drugs in a notorious slum in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.

But Chiluba, 32, a retired officer in the Zambia Air Force, has filed a notice of appeal in the High Court. He has also applied for bail pending appeal.

“If bail is not granted, I am going to suffer prejudice and injustice as there is a possibility of serving the substantial part of the sentence before the appeal is heard, thereby rendering my appeal an academic exercise and of no purpose,” he said.

But public prosecutor Cyprian Phiri objected to the application for bail, arguing that there were no exceptional circumstances.

He said he prosecution had not seen any ground which would merit a successful appeal. The court will make a decision on Friday.

Chiluba Snr ruled Zambia from 1991 to 2001. He was dogged by corruption allegations, leading to his immunity from prosecution being lifted after he left office.

He was prosecuted for alleged embezzlement in 2002 but acquitted after a six- year trial.

In 2007, he was convicted of fraud by a London court and ordered to repay $58m (£36m) in embezzled funds, but the ruling was never enforced in Zambia.