New evidence has emerged showing that both local and foreign lawyers probably did not want the Chiluba corruption case to die because they were making a killing.

The Ministry of Justice has revealed that US$13 million was the total "damage" in legal fees incurred by the disbanded task force on corruption set up by late president Levy Mwanawasa and that government has in fact not fully settled the legal fees.

It also disclosed that local lawyers are still owed US$480,000 and US$1.3 million was outstanding for foreign lawyers and gave the breakdown.

From 2003 to 2008, a total of US$2.3 million had been paid to local lawyers. Foreign lawyers received US$11.1 million in the same period.

"The total amount (paid) therefore for both foreign and local lawyers in dollar terms is US$13,521,374.60.

This in Kwacha terms translates to K62, 198,323,160.00," the ministry said in a statement.

It also revealed that an additional amount of K1.2 billion had been paid to local lawyers, bringing the grand total to K63,400,527,160, which it pointed out was more than the annual budgetary allocation to some line ministries.

It trashed the assertion by the former head of the task force that US$5 million was a security deposit.

It said the actual security deposit was four million (British) pounds sterling and that foreign lawyers had exercised their legal rights and accessed that money. It would, therefore, not be refunded.

The ministry made the announcement in the wake of President Rupiah Banda's revelation that one of the reasons for the state's decision not to appeal former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal and by extension for disbanding the task force on corruption was that the process was costing the taxpayer a lot of money.

On November 12 President Banda revealed that the task force had paid out a total of US$13 million in legal fees to both local and foreign lawyers but that in most cases far smaller amounts were at issue. Chiluba, for instance, was charged with theft of US$500,000.

The costs involved in pursuing the matter were so vast there was no justification for a country as poor as Zambia to "waste" scarce resources.

President Banda also said he suspected that the clamour "to appeal the verdict and maintain the taskforce" was driven by those who stood to gain.

But his comments resurrected a controversy that was dying down, as his figures were disputed by everyone, including opposition leaders, seeking to make political mileage from the court matter.

They charged that the president had a troubled conscience because of the "dubious acquittal" in which he played a major role behind the scenes, hence his need to "cook up" a justification.

United Party for National Development (UNDP) leader, Hakainde Hichilema alleged open collusion between the president and the Chief Justice to justify "unbalanced" justice.

A loyalist of the late president Levy Mwanawasa, who resigned his cabinet post after his mentor's death, said Banda's assertions implied that his predecessor (Mwanawasa) was a hateful and irresponsible man who went after those he disliked regardless of cost to the government.