LUSAKA (AFP) -- Former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba will appear in court next week along with six others on fresh charges of stealing 29 million dollars (24.5 million euros), an anti-corruption official told AFP Friday.

Chiluba, who already faces separate charges of theft involving 40 million dollars, will appear before a magistrate court on Monday, an official from the taskforce on corruption said.

"He has been jointly charged with six others," the official said.

The other co-accused include former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu, Zambia's ex-ambassador to the U.S. Atan Shansonga, former government chief economist Bede Mphande, and the former Finance Ministry permanent secretary Stella Chibanda.

Prominent businessmen Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu, whose firm was allegedly used to siphon off state funds, are also cited in the case. Chiluba and former aides face more than 150 criminal charges ranging from corruption, abuse of office and theft of public funds when he ruled the southern African country for 10 years from 1991 to 2001.

The long-awaited trial on the 40 million dollars theft charges is due to open on October 30, according to court records.

Chiluba is the most senior victim of President Levy Mwanawasa's anti-corruption drive launched a year ago.

Mwanawasa was handpicked by Chiluba to stand as his successor in the 2001 general elections, sparking criticism within the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) party that Mwanawasa would continue to serve Chiluba's interests as a puppet president.

But a few months after his election, Mwanawasa proved critics wrong by launching a vigorous anti-corruption drive which has targeted and exposed some former government officials.