A Zambian court has sentenced former Foreign Minister, Joseph Malanji to four years in prison with hard labour, after convicting him of corruptly acquiring luxury assets using state funds.

Naijaonpoint reports that Malanji, who served under President Edgar Lungu from 2018 to 2021, was arrested in late 2021 by Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and Anti‑Corruption Commission.

He faced charges for allegedly procuring property using proceeds of crime, notably including two Bell helicopters and a hotel in Kitwe.

According to DEC, Malanji used K10 million and US$700,000, suspected to be criminal proceeds, to renovate his Gibson Royal Hotel, and purchased a Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter (approx. US$700,000).

The luxury assets were seized pending trial.

Conviction and Sentencing

On Thursday, September 4, Malanji was convicted on seven of eight counts in what has been dubbed the “Helicopter Corruption Trial”

Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga handed down a sentence of four years imprisonment with hard labour, noting: “I have heard the spirited mitigation by counsel and taken note that the convicts are first offenders and are entitled to leniency.”

Fredson Yamba, Malanji’s co-accused and former Treasury Secretary, received a three-year sentence. He was found guilty of facilitating an $8.8 million transfer to Zambia’s mission in Turkey without justification.

Luxury Loot, Shrouded Transactions

The court heard that Malanji amassed multiple high-value assets, including two helicopters, homes in Lusaka’s Silverest Gardens, and a hotel in Kitwe, using complex transactions structured to conceal their illicit origins under false contracts and misrepresented funding sources.

In contrast, Yamba’s conviction centred on the misuse of public funds in breach of budget laws and procurement regulations.

This landmark verdict marks one of the few successful convictions of senior officials from Lungu’s Patriotic Front government.

President Hakainde Hichilema, who took office promising to root out corruption, hailed the ruling as evidence of institutional strength, although critics warn of potential selective justice.

Civil society groups view the verdict as a positive step, but caution that consistent enforcement across political lines is necessary to restore public trust.