A Zambian court on Thursday sentenced former foreign minister Joseph Malanji to four years in prison with hard labour over corruption charges.
Malanji, who served under ex-president Edgar Lungu between 2018 and 2021, was arrested in late 2021 for allegedly using stolen state funds to acquire assets, including two Bell 420 helicopters.
The ruling marked a rare win for state prosecutors in Zambia, which Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks among the world’s most corrupt nations.
Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga, while delivering judgment, said: “I have considered the strong mitigation by counsel and acknowledge that the convicts are first-time offenders deserving of some leniency.” She then ordered the 60-year-old to serve four years with hard labour.
His co-accused, former treasury secretary Fredson Yamba, received a three-year sentence for authorizing the transfer of over $8 million to Zambia’s mission in Turkey without proper justification.
It remains unclear whether the two will appeal.
They are the first senior officials from Lungu’s administration to be convicted on graft-related charges since President Hakainde Hichilema took office.
Although Hichilema has pledged to fight corruption, critics argue that progress has been slow. Meanwhile, over 64 percent of citizens in resource-rich Zambia still live in poverty.
