THE Economic and Financial Crimes Court has rejected former first lady Esther Lungu’s request to suspend proceedings in a case where Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Gilbert Phiri seeks to forfeit her 15 double-storey flats to the State. However, the court has approved the DPP’s application to summon two bank officials to produce bank statements for Esther and the Esther Lungu Foundation Trust. Esther sought to halt the proceedings pending her appeal against the court’s ruling that the DPP didn’t need to start separate proceedings to determine whether properties were tainted before applying for a Non-Conviction Based Forfeiture order. In a ruling by Judges Pixie Yangailo, Ian Mabbolobbolo, and Vincent Siloka, the court stated that summoning the two bank officials...