The Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has sentenced former Zambian Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji to four years imprisonment with hard labour on corruption charges.

Malanji, who held office under former President Edgar Lungu from 2018 to 2021, faced arrest in late 2021 for allegedly misappropriating state funds to acquire assets, including two Bell 420 helicopters.

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

The 60-year-old’s conviction, alongside a three-year sentence for co-accused Fredson Yamba, a former treasury secretary, marks a significant prosecutorial achievement in a nation ranked among the most corrupt globally by Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Yamba was implicated in facilitating an undocumented transfer exceeding $8 million to Zambia’s diplomatic mission in Turkey.

The verdicts target the initial senior officials from Lungu’s administration prosecuted since President Hakainde Hichilema assumed office, who has consistently pledged to eradicate corruption, though critics highlight a perceived lag in progress.

It remains uncertain whether Malanji and Yamba will pursue an appeal, leaving the legal and political implications pending as the country monitors further developments.