LUSAKA – Archbishop of Lusaka Alick Banda has walked out of Chimbokaila Prison after meeting the bail conditions imposed by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court following his arrest and appearance in court over a disputed Toyota Hilux. Dr Banda was released at about 16:20 hours on Tuesday, September 29, according to ZNBC, after his legal team […]

LUSAKA – Archbishop of Lusaka Alick Banda has walked out of Chimbokaila Prison after meeting the bail conditions imposed by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court following his arrest and appearance in court over a disputed Toyota Hilux.

Dr Banda was released at about 16:20 hours on Tuesday, September 29, according to ZNBC, after his legal team completed the requirements attached to his K80,000 bail.

A video seen by Zambian Eye shows the Archbishop emerging from the Lusaka Central Correctional Facility, commonly known as Chimbokaila, where he had spent the previous night after his release could not be completed on Monday.

The footage shows Archbishop Banda briefly acknowledging people who had gathered outside the prison before leaving the facility.

His release brought to an end a night in custody that followed his Monday appearance before Lusaka Resident Magistrate Mwandu Nakazwe.

How the Archbishop ended up at Chimbokaila

Dr Banda was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and charged with possession of property reasonably believed to have been unlawfully obtained, contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code.

The charge concerns a blue Toyota Hilux, registration number ALF 7734, which the DEC alleges was unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and was in the Archbishop’s possession between April 22, 2021 and December 27, 2023.

Dr Banda pleaded not guilty.

The court subsequently granted him K80,000 bail in his own recognisance, with three working sureties each bonded at K50,000, and ordered him to surrender his travel documents.

However, the bail formalities were not completed before the close of business on Monday, resulting in the Archbishop spending the night at Chimbokaila despite having been granted bail.

Release came after Tuesday’s bail formalities

On Tuesday, his legal team continued working with the court to complete the requirements, including the verification of the sureties.

Zambia Monitor reported that the Archbishop’s lawyers completed the bail formalities and that he was released at about 16:20. A small group of priests, parishioners and supporters had gathered outside the correctional facility awaiting his release.

The release was also confirmed by ZNBC.

The case is not over

While Archbishop Banda is now out of custody, the criminal case against him continues.

His release on bail does not determine the outcome of the case. He has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations against him remain matters for the court to determine.

The case centres on the ownership and circumstances surrounding the Toyota Hilux and the State’s allegation that the vehicle was reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from ZRA.

The next court proceedings are expected to continue in October, with trial proceedings reported to be scheduled for November.

For now, however, the immediate chapter that began with the Archbishop’s arrest on Monday has ended with his release from Chimbokaila on Tuesday afternoon.

Zambian Eye will continue following the case as it moves through the courts.