By 
Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Joseph Malanji, and former Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, will know their fate on August 22, 2025, in a corruption case involving alleged abuse of public funds during foreign assignments.
Lusaka Senior Resident Magistrate Ireen Wishimanga set the judgment date after the defence closed its case on Tuesday.
Key defence witness, Chalwe Lombe, former Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs–International Relations and Cooperation, testified in favour of the accused.
He told the court that he accompanied Malanji to Turkey in December 2020, where the former minister was dispatched by then-President Edgar Lungu to deliver a special message to the Turkish President.
Lombe stated that the delegation, which included Malanji’s Special Assistant Mwaba Chilufya, completed the assignment at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs before proceeding to Morocco on similar official business.
He denied witnessing or participating in any illegal activity during the trips.
Lombe also recounted being questioned by Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers in October 2021, who suspected that a vehicle he used on the trip may have transported money.
“I told them I had no knowledge of what vehicle I was in,” Lombe said, adding that a colleague confirmed his lack of awareness about the vehicle’s contents.
He emphasized that only personal baggage was carried, while the minister’s official luggage was handled by protocol officers.
Under cross-examination, Lombe admitted he did not handle Malanji’s luggage and was not with him at all times during the trip.
He also said he did not know the contents of the message delivered in Turkey.
Another defence witness, Dyson Ntenga, a 30-year-old banker from Salama Park, presented bank statements from First National Bank (FNB) showing two transactions linked to Gibson Air Charter: a USD 110,000 credit on July 20, 2021, and a USD 105,000 payment on September 6, 2021.
The defence argued these were legitimate payments for official air charter services.
Yamba is alleged to have willfully failed to follow legal procedure when he authorised the transfer of over K108 million to Zambia’s mission in Turkey for the purchase of real estate.
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