Zambia’s former first lady, Esther Lungu, has been arrested on money laundering charges, according to her lawyer, Makebi Zulu. This development comes just days after her husband, former president Edgar Lungu, accused the government of targeting him in a political vendetta.
Esther Lungu, 66, was detained on Thursday evening along with her two daughters after being questioned for hours about properties owned by the family in Lusaka, the capital. She has since been released on bail.
“The former first lady has been arrested for being found in possession of properties suspected to be proceeds of crime and money laundering charges,” Zulu told AFP. The properties in question are a block of flats in Lusaka’s upscale New Kasama district, built by her husband, Edgar Lungu, 67.
Zambia’s anti-drug agency reported that Esther Lungu could not provide a “reasonable explanation” for how she acquired the flats, which cost 41 million kwacha ($1.6 million) to construct. The agency suspects these properties are the proceeds of crime.
Edgar Lungu governed Zambia, a nation rich in copper, from 2015 until 2021, when he lost the presidential election to Hakainde Hichilema. Since then, Edgar Lungu has announced plans to return to politics with the next general elections set for 2026. He has frequently criticized what he describes as a narrowing democratic space in Zambia and has accused the current administration of harassing his family.
Recently, police warned Edgar Lungu against turning his morning jogs into political events, and he has claimed he is “practically under house arrest,” which authorities have denied.
This is not the first legal trouble for Esther Lungu. Last year, her home was raided over allegations of vehicle theft.
