Judgment was delivered by Justice Anne Malata-Ononuju on behalf of a three-judge panel. The court found that the six grounds of appeal challenging Lusambo’s convictions for corrupt acquisition of public property, tax evasion and related offences did not establish any error in law or fact sufficient to overturn the lower court’s decision.
On November 18, 2024, retired Lusaka Magistrate Faides Hamaundu convicted Lusambo on nine out of ten counts, including corrupt acquisition of public property, possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime, tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud. He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with hard labour. Lusambo had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court acquitted him on one count of conspiracy to defraud and cleared his wife, Nancy Manase, on several counts in which she had been jointly charged.
According to the prosecution, between May 10, 2015 and December 31, 2021, Lusambo unlawfully acquired property in Ndola in the name of Frontier Management Services Limited. The property was later sold to Jignesh Prafulchandra Soni for K880,000 for his benefit.
In other counts, Lusambo and his wife were accused of possessing properties in Chongwe, including houses in Silverest Gardens valued at US$130,000 and US$60,000, which were found to be proceeds of crime.
In dismissing the appeal, the panel held that Lusambo failed to provide documentary evidence, including bank records, to support his claims of lawful income and prior earnings, and concluded that the evidence on record met the required legal standard to sustain the conviction and sentence.
