Zambia orders new medical tests for ex-president

LUSAKA – A Zambian court ordered ex-president Frederick Chiluba to undergo fresh medical tests after he skipped a court appearance at his trial on graft charges, a Chiluba spokesman said on Saturday.

Chiluba was told to appear before a panel of Zambian doctors to determine whether he is fit to resume the trial in the corruption case, in which he is accused of stealing $488 000 in public funds while he was president for a decade up to 2001, spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba said. Chiluba skipped a scheduled court appearance on Friday and his lawyer told the court he was still unfit to resume the graft hearing.The trial stalled in May 2006 after he was diagnosed with heart complications.In a separate case, British judge Peter Smith said two weeks ago that Chiluba must personally pay back $41 million of the $46 million he and 19 other former senior government officials are accused of siphoning from the Treasury.Smith ruled in a case Zambia brought in a British court, a move Zambian officials said was aimed at recovering properties Chiluba and his associates had bought in Britain, Belgium and other European nations using stolen public funds.Chiluba denied last week that he had stolen the funds during his rule.Nampa-ReutersChiluba skipped a scheduled court appearance on Friday and his lawyer told the court he was still unfit to resume the graft hearing.The trial stalled in May 2006 after he was diagnosed with heart complications.In a separate case, British judge Peter Smith said two weeks ago that Chiluba must personally pay back $41 million of the $46 million he and 19 other former senior government officials are accused of siphoning from the Treasury.Smith ruled in a case Zambia brought in a British court, a move Zambian officials said was aimed at recovering properties Chiluba and his associates had bought in Britain, Belgium and other European nations using stolen public funds.Chiluba denied last week that he had stolen the funds during his rule.Nampa-Reuters