Former President Edgar Lungu has been implicated in a case where his wife, Esther, her niece Catherine Banda, and three police officers are facing charges of motor vehicle theft and theft of a certificate of title.
The property in question belongs to Elizabeth Phiri, a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) herbalist, and her daughter, Fuhana Phiri.
However, Ms. Lungu claims the vehicles were purchased with her own money—$400,000—which she alleges was taken by the two women through her niece, whom she had entrusted with the funds.
According to court testimony, Catherine Banda was a client of the herbalist, seeking herbal remedies to find a husband and later conceive a child.
When the case came up for continued trial before Magistrate Mbuvyani Simvula, Fuhana Phiri testified that in 2022, she and her mother were summoned to Mr. Lungu’s residence, where they were allegedly ordered to surrender their property—including three motor vehicles and a house—for failing to return the money they were accused of taking.
The witness further told the court that the former president was present during the confrontation, along with four unidentified men, who allegedly threatened to torture them by taking them to a location known as Kampelwa.
The court has since ordered that the document be examined by a handwriting expert before determining whether it will be admitted as evidence.
