A Zambian court has sentenced former foreign minister Joseph Malanji to four years in prison with hard labour after finding him guilty of corruption—a rare breakthrough in the country’s long fight against graft.
Malanji, who served under ex-president Edgar Lungu between 2018 and 2021, was accused of using stolen state funds to acquire luxury assets, including two Bell 420 helicopters. Delivering the verdict, Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga acknowledged that the defendants were first-time offenders but insisted the gravity of their crimes warranted custodial punishment.
Alongside Malanji, former treasury secretary Fredson Yamba was also convicted. Yamba received a three-year sentence for facilitating the transfer of over $8 million in public funds without justification. The court did not immediately indicate whether either man plans to appeal.
The convictions mark the first high-profile graft rulings against senior officials from Lungu’s administration since President Hakainde Hichilema took office in 2021. Hichilema campaigned heavily on an anti-corruption platform, pledging to clean up Zambia’s institutions and restore investor confidence. Until now, critics argued that his promises had delivered little in terms of accountability for political elites.
Civil society groups have welcomed the ruling as a positive step, but analysts caution that one verdict alone is not enough to dismantle entrenched corruption networks. Many Zambians remain skeptical, waiting to see whether this will trigger deeper institutional reforms or end up as an isolated showpiece case.
The sentencing of Malanji and Yamba could be a turning point—testing not only the credibility of Zambia’s justice system but also Hichilema’s determination to deliver on his anti-graft agenda.
