THE Lusaka High Court has granted bail to former Finance Minister Katele Kalumba and his co-accused persons pending their appeal hearing in the Supreme Court.
This is in a matter in which the four had appealed against their five-year jail sentence slapped by the subordinate court but the high court had upheld the sentence saying their activities were marred with corruption.
Kalumba is jointly charged with former directors of the defunct Access Financial Services Limited (AFSL) Faustin Kabwe, Aaron Chungu and former Finance Permanent Secretary Stella Chibanda for corrupt activities during former President Frederick Chiluba’s regime.
High Court judge Evans Hamaundu granted the appellants bail and said their bail conditions should be attached with the same conditions they were given by the subordinate court.
“We have looked at the arguments by both parties and have considered their submissions, the court will not delay to consider their plight of waiting for the voluminous records to be processed and the delay may result in them serving half of the sentence.
“We therefore in our considered view think that their appeal is an exceptional and in that circumstance, the appellants shall therefore be admitted to bail on the same bail terms that were given by the lower court,” said judge Hamaundu.
And some of the bail conditions given to them by the subordinate court included the convicts’ surrendering their passports to the senior court clerk, raising two working sureties of established business and residents in Zambia.
The lower court also asked the four convicts to pay KR 500 to the court each in their own recognizance.
The four had been in prison since Monday after Judge in charge Jane Kabuka sitting with Mr Hamaundu upheld their five years jail sentence slapped on them by now Industrial Relations Court judge Edward Musona.
Uncle stay strong will ring you
Thanks
Why is it that Rupiah Bwezani Banda is treated to different rules which favour no granting of bail and no freedom of travel? What happened to equality before the law where Katele Kalumba has been tried and found wanting but RB is yet to be tried and evidence is still scant but RB is treated as more guilty and more risky?
I thought Mambala is on bail!
They should appeal from prison like everyone else! Zambian judges are becoming a disgrace, they are not applying the law system equally, these thieves have been zig- zagging the courts for 8 years on corruption charges! Every time a former MMD corrupt official is charged with corruption or plunder of public funds, heart diseases, diabetes and spine problems starts to afflicts these individuals. Does this mean that this country was ruled by a batch of sick individuals? This trick was used by Chiluba, when are these judges going to wake up or is it that they are corrupt? We have heard of foreigners being given bail after committing heinous crimes and immediately flee the jurisdiction. Poor Zambians are languishing in jails with no day in court because of corrupt judges and corrupt convicts
Are courts in Zambia still taken seriously?
Look at the names….Kalumba, Chungu, Chibamba and then you want to put Banda into the equation?
Bemba
Another four years of the same rubbish. How long does it take to dispose of a case? The Zambian judiciary must be staffed by either the dullest or the most corrupt judges on earth. Since this case started, we’ve seen several high profile cases in America and Britain disposed off within weeks.
Do not play with vincent Malambo, Nchito is dealing with very competent lawyers
Lusaka Times, Please explain. This post is from simple but there is a name ” Weed” and an e mail address for “weed” on my reply section of this post. Strange, it means our e mails are being published although you claim they wont.
if these thieves had been doing time from the time that they were convicted they would have been free by now 3[three] years later.they are growing old and will end up dying in jail when there appeal will be dismissed
Kalumba stop delaying your shifting to Mukobeko you thief.You even went after my friend’s wife you thief!
What will happen is, the appeal will take another 5 years and as as usual the CJ will pass judgement in his favour on instructions from Mr UKWA.His praise on CNP will not go without a reward.A judegment in his favour fits the prize for the loyalties we have seen of late.
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