Court queries Malanji’s sick note ahead of judgment in case of alleged corrupt enrichment

Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Joseph Malanji, reportedly fell ill a day before judgment in a case where he is charged with possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court has heard.

The court has ordered the doctor who issued a medical note excusing Malanji to appear and clarify its authenticity after it emerged that the document bore the name “Joe Malanji” instead of the accused’s full name.

This development followed submissions by the defence team that Malanji had fallen sick on the eve of the judgment.

When the matter was called, Principal State Advocate Mwangala Mwala questioned the validity of the document, noting that it did not specify the illness and carried the wrong name.

“The sick note bears the name Joel Malanji, and we are of the view that the doctor who issued it should clarify its authenticity,” Mwala argued.

Malanji’s lawyer, Chandiwila Nyimbili, did not object to the application, stating that medical notes ordinarily do not disclose a patient’s specific illness for confidentiality reasons.

He further explained that the accused was also known as “Joe Malanji,” suggesting the issue was merely semantic.

However, lawyer Luckson Mwamba, representing former Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba, opposed the application, dismissing it as unnecessary and a waste of judicial time.

Magistrate Wishimanga, while describing the request as “strange,” granted the State’s application since Malanji’s defence had not objected.

The matter was adjourned to Monday.

The State alleges that between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021, Yamba, as Secretary to the Treasury, authorised the transfer of K108,401,197 to the Zambian Mission in Turkey without following procedure.

Malanji is accused of owning a Bell 430 helicopter, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, Gibson Royal Hotel and three houses in Silverest, allegedly linked to funds from the Zambian Mission in Turkey.

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