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Former Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Commissioner General, Kingsley Chanda, has asked the Lusaka Magistrates Court to grant him bail pending appeal, arguing that continued incarceration would cause irreparable harm to himself and his ailing family members.
Chanda, who was sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour for abuse of authority of office and failure to follow procedure in the disposal of 22 government vehicles—some allegedly donated to the Patriotic Front (PF) for election campaigns—insists that justice demands his temporary release while his appeal is being processed.
His co-convict, former ZRA Director of Administration Callistus Kaoma, received a nine-year sentence on similar charges.
Read more: Former ZRA chief, Chanda, begins six-year jail term over vehicle disposal scandal
Both men argue that their appeal before the High Court has a reasonable chance of success and that they should not be forced to “serve the whole or substantial part” of their sentences while waiting for the voluminous court record to be typed and transmitted.
“I have three brothers who have serious medical conditions requiring expensive treatment, and I am the one responsible for their care,” Chanda stated in his sworn affidavit.
“If I remain in prison, there will be no one to meet their medical expenses. It will be in the interest of justice that bail is granted,” he stated.
Chanda, who maintained that he is not a flight risk and has a fixed abode in Lusaka, described prison conditions as “pathetic and degrading,” warning that they could worsen his health.
He further argued that denying him bail would render his appeal “nugatory and academic” should he be acquitted after serving much of his sentence.
However, Principal State Advocate Angelica Kennedy-Mwanza of the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) opposed the application, stating that Chanda and Kaoma had failed to demonstrate any exceptional circumstances to justify their release.
“The fact that the record is voluminous or that the applicants have sick relatives does not constitute exceptional grounds for bail,” Mwanza submitted.
“There is no likelihood of success in the appeal, and the sentences imposed are lengthy enough that the applicants will not have served a substantial portion by the time the appeal is heard.”
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