Zambia’s Ex-President Daughter Tasila Lungu Sues Private Media House For Defamation

Tasila Lungu, daughter to former Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has filed a complaint against one of the country’s media houses Crown Television and three other people for alleged defamation.

Tasila, who is a member of Parliament (MP) for Chawama Constituency, alleges that Crown TV Zambia carried out a story in which it claims that she is being investigated for suspicious purchase of a bank worth K300 million.

She therefore prayed to Lusaka Magistrate Court to order Black Swan Media Limited trading as Crown TV, Jeff Mbewe and Mwamba Chikonka trading as The Candidate, Southern Classic Media managed by Davies Shachinda and Mwewa Chitambala running Simon Mwewa Lane Facebook Page to pay damages and retraction of the statement.

The youthful parliamentarian has also demanded that Crown TV and the candidate must offer an apology.

In her remarks, Tasila stated that the four published a statement that she was the former councilor who was being investigated for suspicious purchase of a bank together with assets worth K300 million.

The MP said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) did not mention any names at its briefing held on September 15, this year.

She stated that despite her lawyers writing to Crown TV, the station did not retract the statement but instead repeated the sentiments in the Facebook post in the news televised at 19:30 hours.

She said that the statement meant and were understood to mean that she is a corrupt individual who illicitly purchased the named bank.

Ms Lungu stated that the statement by Mr Chitambala that everyone from Eagle One to an average councilor was stealing in a big way during the PF’s iron rule, meant that she was a thief who stole a lot of public funds before change of Government.

She added that it meant that she used the stolen money to acquire the said bank.

“The defendants caused to be published the said words and videos on their Facebook pages out of malevolence or spite towards the plaintiff and were designed to damage the reputation of the plaintiff,” Ms Lungu stated.