Corruption: Court sentences ex-minister to 4yrs in prison with hard labour

A court has sentenced a former minister to four years in prison with hard labour after finding him guilty of corruption.

The ruling, delivered on Thursday, followed allegations that he used misappropriated public funds to acquire high-value assets, including two helicopters. His arrest dates back to late 2021.

The convicted official is Joseph Malanji, who served as Zambia’s foreign minister between 2018 and 2021 under then-president Edgar Lungu.

The outcome is being hailed as a rare success for state prosecutors in the southern African nation, which Transparency International’s 2024 index ranked among the most corrupt worldwide.

“I have heard the spirited mitigation by counsel and taken note that the convicts are first offenders and are entitled to leniency,” said Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga.

The 60-year-old was nonetheless ordered to serve “four years imprisonment with hard labour.”

Malanji’s co-defendant, Fredson Yamba, a former treasury secretary, was sentenced to three years for facilitating the transfer of more than $8 million to the country’s mission in Turkey without justification, the magistrate added.

It was not immediately clear if either man plans to appeal the decision. They are the first senior figures from Lungu’s administration to face jail for graft since President Hakainde Hichilema assumed office, pledging to stamp out entrenched corruption.

Despite his promises, critics argue that progress on anti-graft reforms has been slow. Over 64 percent of citizens in the resource-rich nation continue to live in poverty.