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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Ex-Zambian leader's wife jailed | Ex-Zambian leader's wife jailed |
| (8 minutes later) | |
| The wife of Zambia's former President Frederick Chiluba has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. | The wife of Zambia's former President Frederick Chiluba has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. |
| Regina Chiluba was found guilty of receiving stolen state funds to buy three houses and a commercial property while her husband was in office. | Regina Chiluba was found guilty of receiving stolen state funds to buy three houses and a commercial property while her husband was in office. |
| She married Mr Chiluba after he stood down in 2001, having served two terms. | She married Mr Chiluba after he stood down in 2001, having served two terms. |
| The BBC's Musonda Chibamba in Lusaka says Mr Chiluba, who is also on trial for corruption, shook his head as the magistrate read out his verdict. | The BBC's Musonda Chibamba in Lusaka says Mr Chiluba, who is also on trial for corruption, shook his head as the magistrate read out his verdict. |
| Weeping | Weeping |
| Our correspondent says Mrs Chiluba - usually a glamorous dresser - was wearing a simple traditional "Chitenge" outfit in court in the capital, Lusaka. | |
| These were serious allegations and were casually explained by the accused Magistrate Charles Kafunda | These were serious allegations and were casually explained by the accused Magistrate Charles Kafunda |
| She continuously mopped her face with a handkerchief during the two-hour judgement. | She continuously mopped her face with a handkerchief during the two-hour judgement. |
| Every available seat in the court was taken up and many more people stood at the back of the room while others blocked the door, our reporter says. | |
| A shocked silence filled the court when the conviction was read out. | A shocked silence filled the court when the conviction was read out. |
| "These were serious allegations and were casually explained by the accused, and I now convict you accordingly and sentence you to three-and-half years simple imprisonment," AFP news agency quotes Magistrate Charles Kafunda as saying. | "These were serious allegations and were casually explained by the accused, and I now convict you accordingly and sentence you to three-and-half years simple imprisonment," AFP news agency quotes Magistrate Charles Kafunda as saying. |
| Some relatives began to silently weep and had to be helped out; others began to sing Christian songs, our correspondent says. | Some relatives began to silently weep and had to be helped out; others began to sing Christian songs, our correspondent says. |
| Soon after judgement was passed, a court clerk took Mrs Chiluba's fingerprints while the former president joined her in the dock. | Soon after judgement was passed, a court clerk took Mrs Chiluba's fingerprints while the former president joined her in the dock. |
| She was then led to a waiting car and driven to the Lusaka Central Prison to begin her sentence. | She was then led to a waiting car and driven to the Lusaka Central Prison to begin her sentence. |
| The court ordered that all the properties in question be forfeited to the state. | The court ordered that all the properties in question be forfeited to the state. |
| Her lawyer has indicated that he will appeal against the sentence in Lusaka's High Court. | Her lawyer has indicated that he will appeal against the sentence in Lusaka's High Court. |
| Mrs Chiluba was also convicted of receiving a television set that the prosecution proved belonged to the state and for failing to explain how she came to have nearly $100,000 in her personal bank account. | Mrs Chiluba was also convicted of receiving a television set that the prosecution proved belonged to the state and for failing to explain how she came to have nearly $100,000 in her personal bank account. |
| Her husband, whose immunity from prosecution was lifted in 2003, denies stealing millions of dollars of state funds. | Her husband, whose immunity from prosecution was lifted in 2003, denies stealing millions of dollars of state funds. |
| Levy Mwanawasa, who launched a high-profile campaign after succeeding Mr Chiluba in 2001, died last year. | Levy Mwanawasa, who launched a high-profile campaign after succeeding Mr Chiluba in 2001, died last year. |
| President Rupiah Banda has promised to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. | President Rupiah Banda has promised to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. |