DRC governor wanted in Zambia
07/03/2007 14:23  - (SA)  

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Lusaka - Zambia has asked authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to extradite the governor of its southeastern Katanga province to face charges of corruption and theft of public funds.

Max Nkole, the head of Zambia's special graft-busting unit, said the foreign ministry in Lusaka had filed a request to Kinshasa for the handover of Moses Katumbi as soon as possible.

"The suspects for whom the extradition requests have been issued are DRC's Katanga governor Katumbi and (former Zambian intelligence chief) Xavier Chungu," Nkole said in a statement.

Katumbi, who has dual Zambian and Congolese citizenship, is accused of stealing state funds through business deals with his close ally and former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba, who himself is facing several charges of corruption and theft of public funds.

Katumbi's businesses in Zambia, which included a major fisheries and milling companies, have been confiscated by the government and the assets forfeited to the state after Katumbi fled Zambia to the neighbouring DRC around three years ago.

Nkole said the Zambian government was also seeking the arrest of another key suspect in the case, former intelligence chief Chungu, who fled the country and is believed to be in the DRC.

Chiluba, Chungu and Katumbi are also accused of having swindled the Zambian government out of about $25m in a botched arms deal sanctioned by Chiluba when he was president between 1991 to 2001.

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