A Zambian court has sentenced former foreign minister Joseph Malanji to four years in prison with hard labour after convicting him on seven counts linked to properties and helicopters suspected to be proceeds of crime.
His co-accused, former secretary to the treasury Fredson Yamba, received a three-year term for authorising the transfer of public funds to Zambia’s mission in Turkey without due process, according to case filings and local reporting.
The court noted both men were first-time offenders but said custodial sentences were warranted given the gravity and sums involved.
The convictions mark the most prominent to date among several cases involving figures from Edgar Lungu’s former administration, even as the opposition Patriotic Front alleges President Hakainde Hichilema is pursuing a political vendetta.
Context: In May, the United States suspended about $50 million in annual health-sector support to Zambia, citing “systemic theft” of donated medical supplies; Lusaka announced an audit but prosecutions have yet to follow.
Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021 and under whom Malanji served (2018–2021), died in South Africa on 5 June; a legal dispute over his repatriation and funeral arrangements has continued to roil Zambian politics.