Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda has been released from Lusaka Central Correctional Facility, commonly known as Chimbokaila, after meeting all his bail conditions. He walked out this afternoon, ending a stay in custody that began on Monday when the paperwork for his release could…

Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda has been released from Lusaka Central Correctional Facility, commonly known as Chimbokaila, after meeting all his bail conditions. He walked out this afternoon, ending a stay in custody that began on Monday when the paperwork for his release could not be finalised before the day ended. State Counsel John Sangwa led the legal effort to secure his freedom, working alongside Vicar General Andrew Simpasa and senior Catholic clergy. The Archbishop now returns to his Archdiocese while the case against him proceeds.

Resident Magistrate Mwandu Nakazwe set his bail at K80,000 in his own recognisance, backed by three working sureties bound at K50,000 each. She also ordered him to surrender his travel documents. The sureties spent much of today being interviewed by court officials, a standard check that stretched well into the afternoon. Once it was cleared, the prison authorities processed his discharge.

The charge he faces is possession of property reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained, contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code. The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) alleges that between April 2021 and December 2023 he held a blue Toyota Hilux, registration ALF 7734, taken unlawfully from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). He has denied the allegation. The burden now rests on the State to prove it.

The vehicle forms part of a batch of about 22 ZRA vehicles that investigators say left the authority’s fleet without proper procedure. Two former senior ZRA officials, Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda and Director of Administration Callistus Kaoma, were convicted in October 2025 over the disposals and are on bail pending appeal. Testimony in their trial suggested that some unadvertised vehicles had been handed over rather than sold, with one linked to the Archbishop. That record is contested, however, as the ZRA employee named in the transfer documents has publicly denied any part in the transaction.

His two days in the headlines drew a strong response from the Catholic community. The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, through its President, Archbishop of Kasama Ignatius Chama, had called for fairness and due process free of prejudice or intimidation. The bishops also asked the faithful to pray for calm and unity. Today’s release will come as relief to congregations across Lusaka who followed events closely.

The trial will turn on the paper trail behind the Hilux and on what the Archbishop knew about its origins when it came into his hands. The defence is expected to scrutinise every document tying the vehicle to him. The prosecution, for its part, can draw on evidence already aired in the earlier ZRA case. No date has yet been announced for the next hearing.