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Sunday, February 9, 2025
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Former Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba Appeals Five-Year Sentence

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Former Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba, also known as GBM, has filed an appeal against a five-year prison sentence handed down by Lusaka Magistrate Sanford Ngobola. The sentencing occurred last week after Mwamba was convicted on eight counts of conflict of interest and four counts of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

In addition to the prison term, Magistrate Ngobola imposed a K50,000 fine for money laundering. The court found that Mwamba had abused his ministerial position by allowing his companies and relatives to conduct business with the ministry.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mwamba has outlined nine grounds for his appeal, arguing that the magistrate erred in both law and fact. His legal team contends that the trial court failed to give proper weight to evidence that demonstrated he had declared any potential conflicts of interest, a point they argue was previously investigated and resolved.

Mwamba’s lawyers further assert that the court’s interpretation of the law regarding conflict of interest declarations was incorrect, claiming that declaring such interests provides an absolute defense against prosecution under the Anti-Corruption Act.

The appeal also challenges the court’s reliance on the Public Procurement Act in its verdict and argues that the source of the funds in question, derived from the Ministry of Finance, should not be classified as “tainted” proceeds of crime. Furthermore, Mwamba contends that the trial court disregarded evidence from his defense witnesses, who testified that he was not involved in business operations during his tenure in office.

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