Keypoints:
- Ex-ministers jailed in graft convictions
- Forfeiture hearings set for seized assets
- Probes continue into missing funds
ZAMBIA’S Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has declared the conviction of two former senior officials a milestone in the country’s battle against corruption, with asset forfeiture proceedings and fresh investigations already in motion.
Ex-ministers sentenced
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji and ex-Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba were jailed this week in what authorities described as a landmark blow against graft.
Malanji received a four-year sentence after being found guilty of offences involving over $11 million, which prosecutors said funded illicit real estate acquisitions and the purchase of two helicopters. Yamba was sentenced to three years for bypassing financial controls and enabling the misappropriation of state funds.
The DEC said forfeiture proceedings for properties linked to the two men will be heard in court on September 15.
‘New era of accountability’
DEC Director-General Nason Banda, speaking in Lusaka, said the verdicts demonstrated the state’s determination to hold powerful figures accountable.
‘These convictions signal a new era where complex financial crimes by public officers will be met with determined investigations and prosecutions,’ Banda said.
He added that further investigations were underway to trace unaccounted funds tied to the cases.
Anti-graft pledge under scrutiny
President Hakainde Hichilema, in power since 2021, has made the fight against corruption a signature priority, promising transparency, stronger financial oversight and accountability.
While supporters argue the convictions underline his government’s seriousness, critics claim the crackdown has disproportionately targeted figures from the previous Patriotic Front administration.
The DEC insists its work is evidence-driven, stressing that Zambia’s justice system will continue to pursue accountability wherever wrongdoing is found.
