The Zambian government says it will not appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling granting former president Edgar Lungu’s family control of his remains.
The decision follows a long legal dispute between Lungu’s family and the Zambian state over where he should be buried.
Lungu died in South Africa.
The SCA on Tuesday set aside an earlier High Court judgment that had ordered his remains to be repatriated to Zambia for burial.
The appeals court found that the High Court had erred in its conclusion.
The ruling means Lungu’s remains will be handed back to his family for burial in South Africa.
Legal battle reaches turning point
The dispute had lasted more than a year.
It centred on whether Lungu’s body should be returned to Zambia for a state-linked burial, or whether his family should be allowed to decide his final resting place.
In its statement, the Zambian government said it had chosen to respect the family by not taking the matter further.
The government said the legal process had been guided by what it described as a good-faith desire to uphold established national customs.
It said it had now decided not to pursue another appeal.
State cites national calm
Zambia’s attorney general said the state’s decision was aimed at preserving national peace.
In the statement, the attorney general said true statesmanship required knowing when to end legal conflict in the interests of national tranquillity.
The decision appears to bring one of Zambia’s most sensitive post-presidential disputes to a close.
It also shifts the focus back to the family, who will now be able to proceed with burial arrangements in South Africa.
Family to receive remains
The SCA ruling has effectively ended the government’s legal bid to force the repatriation of Lungu’s remains.
The Zambian government’s decision not to appeal means there is no further challenge from the state for now.
The former president’s family is now expected to take custody of his remains.
The case has drawn attention because it involved a former head of state, cross-border legal proceedings and questions about family rights, national customs and burial authority.
For Lungu’s family, the ruling gives them the final say over burial arrangements after more than a year of legal uncertainty.