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A courtroom battle over millions of dollars linked to former Justice Minister and Patriotic Front (PF) acting president, Given Lubinda, is far from over, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Court has set December 2, 2025, to deliver its ruling on the State’s appeal against his acquittal.
Lubinda, who was cleared last year by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court on four counts of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime, has maintained that all funds in question were legitimate and supported by proper records.
The matter was heard before a three-member bench comprising High Court Justices Ian Mabolobolo, Anne Ononuju, and Vincent Siloka.
Read more: Party condemns govt’s bid to overturn Lubinda’s 2024 acquittal by court
In its arguments, the State submitted that the trial court erred in law when it found that the funds deposited into Lubinda’s dollar account were not tainted.
Prosecutors highlighted payments amounting to US$230,000 received from China Africa Cotton Zambia Limited and its parent company, Qingdao Ruichang Cotton Industrial Company Limited, as grounds for suspicion.
They further argued that US$50,000 of the funds was later directed towards the purchase of property at Kingsland City in Lusaka—an act they contended warranted closer scrutiny.
The State maintained that under section 71 of the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act, it was sufficient to establish that the accused possessed funds reasonably suspected to be illicit, without needing to link them to a specific criminal offence.
They also disputed Lubinda’s defence that the money formed part of a loan agreement, arguing that there was no board resolution authorising the transfer of company funds into his personal account, and that the loan terms presented were inconsistent.
Citing five grounds of appeal, the State insisted that the acquittal was a serious misstep and urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Court to overturn the decision.
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