Zambia’s High Court has ordered Dalitso Lungu, the son of former President Edgar Lungu, to surrender properties and vehicles worth more than $1.3 million.
The ruling affects 79 vehicles and 23 properties, including a shopping mall, a petrol station, luxury apartments and an executive house in the capital, Lusaka. The decision was made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the High Court.
The court said Dalitso Lungu, 39, and his company, Saloid Traders Limited, failed to give a clear and verified explanation of how the assets were legally acquired. Judges reviewed his work history and income records to determine whether he could afford the properties.
Evidence presented in court showed that Dalitso worked briefly at a beverage company in Lusaka in 2012 and later spent nearly three years at the Zambia Revenue Authority. The court ruled that his earnings during that time were not enough to explain how he obtained such high-value assets.
Investigators also examined the financial records of Saloid Traders Limited. The company’s tax returns, bank statements, financial records and social security contributions did not show enough income to legally buy or maintain the properties.
Claims that the assets were funded through commercial farming, business profits or family support were rejected. The court said there was no strong documentation to support those explanations.
Dalitso Lungu’s lawyers have said they plan to appeal the ruling.
The case comes amid wider investigations into members of the Lungu family. In 2024, the High Court ordered former First Lady Esther Lungu to forfeit 15 flats valued at $3.5 million.
The legal battles are happening during a tense period in Zambia’s politics. Former President Edgar Lungu, who ruled from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa last June. However, he has not yet been buried because of a dispute between his family and the government of President Hakainde Hichilema.
The government wants Lungu’s body returned to Zambia for a state funeral, while the family says he wished to be buried privately in South Africa without President Hichilema attending. A South African court ruled in favour of repatriating the body, but the family has filed further appeals.
Critics of the government argue that the anti-corruption investigations targeting the Lungu family are politically motivated. However, authorities say the actions are part of a wider effort to fight corruption and recover suspected proceeds of crime.
Lungu’s body remains in a funeral home in Johannesburg as the legal dispute continues.
