Former Zambia’s foreign minister, Joseph Malanji, and the country’s erstwhile Treasury Secretary, Fredson Yamba, have been jailed after a court sentenced them for misusing public funds and acquiring illicit property.

Joseph Malanji would now serve four years with hard labour following after a high-profile corruption trial that concluded this week.

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Acting Chief Resident Magistrate in Lusaka, Irene Wishimanga, handed down the sentence on Thursday a day after convicting Malanji of seven counts of acquiring property believed to be proceeds of crime.

Local media reported that the case against Malanji focused on the purchase of two helicopters, a Bell 430 and a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, as well as three luxury houses in Silverest, Chongwe district in transactions that took place between January 2020 and December 2021.

Also sentenced was former Treasury Secretary, Fredson Yamba, who bagged three years in prison for failing to follow proper financial procedures in the disbursement of public funds.

Oracle Intelligence reports that such high profile prosecutions and consequent jails would not be possible in Nigeria where political leaders openly ignore court orders or secure political intervention when boxed into corners.

It would also be difficult to arrest or initiate proceedings against political office holders in Nigeria following the subservient nature of the country’s law enforcement agencies that readily serve the wishes of those in power.

In Zambia however, Yamba’s charges related to authorizing the transfer of local currency 108 million kwacha to Zambia’s embassy in Turkey for real estate purchases between January 2020 and August 2021.

Magistrate Wishimanga ruled that both men failed to provide sufficient justification for their actions and said custodial sentences were essential to deter future wrongdoing by public officials.

Malanji was one of the closest allies and a prominent figure in former president Edgar Lungu’s government. He served Zambia as foreign minister from 2018 to 2021; and was within the period popularly known as “Bonanza” for his generosity and public engagement.

Lungu’s tenure was plagued by corruption scandals, and his death in South Africa in June this year, along with the ongoing dispute over his burial, has kept the spotlight on his legacy. And Malanji’s conviction makes him one of the highest-ranking figures from the former administration to face criminal charges.

Meanwhile, the government of Zambia has filed an application in court seeking to recover some of the proceeds of corruption from the embattled former minister, arguing that Malanji should forfeit the assets he acquired fraudulently to the state.

Some of the properties include a jet, a helicopter, three houses, and over US$200,000 deemed to be proceeds of corruption.

The application was made soon after the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court jailed Mr Malanji to four years’ imprisonment with hard labour.