Court of Appeal denies bail for Bowman Lusambo, upholds 4-year jail term

FORMER Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo will remain in jail after the Court of Appeal dismissed his renewed bail application pending appeal. Court of Appeal Judge Betty Majula ruled Thursday that Lusambo did not demonstrate exceptional circumstances or that his appeal had strong prospects of success. Lusambo was convicted on 10 counts of abuse of

Audio article Listen to this story Share Send this story FORMER Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo will remain in jail after the Court of Appeal dismissed his renewed bail application pending appeal. Court of Appeal Judge Betty Majula ruled Thursday that Lusambo did not demonstrate exceptional circumstances or that his appeal had strong prospects of success. Lusambo was convicted on 10 counts of abuse of office, tax evasion and possession of suspected proceeds of crime, and sentenced to four years in prison on Nov. 18, 2024. The High Court Economic and Financial Crimes Division* had earlier dismissed his appeal on *Feb. 27, 2026. In his bail application, Lusambo argued that the property in question was owned by a company in which he had no stake, and that the State failed to prove tax evasion. He also said he had already served 18 months and risked serving most of his sentence before the appeal was heard. But Justice Majula said the grounds amounted to a re-examination of facts already decided. She ruled that the risk of serving time before an appeal is heard was not sufficient to grant bail. In a separate matter, former Lumezi MP Munir Zulu abandoned his bail application before Lusaka High Court Judge Ruth Mbambi after serving his full 18-month sentence for seditious practices. His lawyer, Boniface Chiwala, told the court the application was withdrawn. Zulu was jailed on Sept. 6, 2023 for social media remarks alleging that President Hakainde Hichilema would dissolve Parliament. Advertisement Advertise here Reach readers inside premium article pages.

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