A Zambian court has sentenced former foreign affairs minister Joseph Malanji to four years in prison with hard labour after finding him guilty of corruption.
Malanji, who served under ex-president Edgar Lungu between 2018 and 2021, was accused of using embezzled public funds to acquire luxury assets, including two Bell 420 helicopters. He was arrested in late 2021 alongside Fredson Yamba, a former secretary to the treasury.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga noted that both men were first-time offenders but insisted the gravity of the offence warranted custodial sentences. She ordered Malanji to serve four years with hard labour, while Yamba received a three-year term.
Yamba was accused of authorising the transfer of more than $8 million to Zambia’s mission in Turkey without providing justification for the expenditure.
The ruling is considered a rare victory for state prosecutors in Zambia, which Transparency International ranked among the world’s most corrupt countries in its 2024 perception index.
Malanji and Yamba were among the first senior officials from Lungu’s administration to face graft charges under President Hakainde Hichilema, who has repeatedly pledged to tackle corruption.
It was not immediately clear whether the convicted officials would appeal the sentences.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, continues to struggle with high levels of poverty, with more than 64 percent of its population living below the poverty line despite its natural resource wealth.
