Lusaka - Zambia's supreme court on Thursday dismissed an application by former president Fredrick Chiluba to stop the government applying a London judgment that found him guilty of fraud and froze his bank account.

Deputy chief justice Ireen Mambilima said the application by Chiluba and two co-accused businessmen had no basis and the government could proceed with steps to enforce the London ruling against him.

"The Supreme court finds no merit in the application raised and therefore dismisses it and directs that the High Court should hear the matter," Mambilima said.

In 2007, a London court found the former president and the businessmen guilty of defrauding the Zambian government of nearly $50 million and ruled that he should be denied access to his pension at Barclays Bank.

Zambia last year began efforts to have the ruling, made in the former colonial power, implemented locally.

If it can be registered in Zambia, then the authorities would have the legal basis on which to seize Chiluba's assets to recover the money.

His lawyer argued before the Supreme Court that the London court had no jurisdiction over the former leader and his co-accused.

Chiluba was not in court but his spokesman Emmanuel Mwamba said that they would continue fighting the matter in the high court.

"We welcome this decision but we still have evidence that this judgment cannot be registered here," Mwamba said.

Chiluba led Zambia from 1991 to 2001. In August last year he was cleared of charges in Zambia that he embezzled $500 000 in public funds during his tenure.

By IOL