Lusaka - Zambia's president Rupiah Banda has fired the country's top anti-corruption official for pursuing the prosecution of former president Frederick Chiluba, a statement released by the cabinet office said Wednesday.

Maxwell Nkole, Chairman of the Task Force on Corruption, had last week instructed prosecution lawyers to appeal against the acquittal of former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba on theft charges relating to some 500 million dollars.

Chiluba was acquitted on August 17.

Lusaka  - Zambia's President Rupiah Banda has defended himself against accusations of being soft on corruption, following allegations that several members of his government had embezzled public funds, state media reported Friday.

Opposition parties and civil society groups have accused Banda of shielding high-profile figures mentioned in a report by the auditor general as having abused public funds.

The report did not name people but talked about senior officials in government departments.