The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested and charged Lusaka Archbishop Dr Alick Banda with possession of property reasonably believed to have been unlawfully obtained, contrary to Section 319 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia. The arrest followed questioning at the Commission’s offices in Lusaka on Monday. The particulars allege that between 22 April 2021 and 27 December 2023, he had in his possession a blue Toyota Hilux, registration ALF 7734, reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). He is the most senior Catholic cleric in the capital. The arrest brings to a head a case that has hung over the Archdiocese for nine months.

The Hilux is one of about 22 ZRA vehicles alleged to have been improperly disposed of, a wider investigation that has already produced convictions in the courts. The DEC and police have stressed that the charge relates specifically to the alleged possession of unlawfully obtained property. The State is therefore not accusing the Archbishop of taking part in the disposal itself. The question is whether he held a vehicle he had reason to believe was improperly acquired. That question will now be tested in court.

Monday began at the altar. The Archdiocese held a solidarity Mass at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus at 08:00 hours before the Archbishop went to the Commission, saying it feared for his safety and well-being. Church leaders headed their statement with Matthew 26:38, the words Christ spoke in Gethsemane asking his disciples to keep watch with him. Clergy and faithful filled the cathedral before the motorcade left. From there, the scene shifted to a sealed compound in Ridgeway.

Police in full riot gear restricted access to roads leading to the DEC offices as he arrived, and only the Archbishop, Archbishop of Kasama Ignatius Chama, Vicar General Father Andrew Simpasa SJ, ZCCB Secretary General Father Francis Mukosa and lawyer John Sangwa SC were allowed onto the premises. The presence of Archbishop Chama, who heads the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB), showed the national hierarchy standing behind him. The bishops issued a solidarity statement on 27 September, on the eve of the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Patrons of Zambia. Sangwa, one of the country’s leading constitutional lawyers, heads his defence.

“We affirm our deep respect for his pastoral ministry,” Archbishop Chama said.

The charge grows out of one of the most significant corruption cases of recent years. Former ZRA Commissioner General Kingsley Chanda was jailed for six years for failing to follow proper procedures in the disposal of government vehicles, some of which were later branded for Patriotic Front campaign activities, while his co-accused, former Director of Administration Callistus Kaoma, received nine years. The two faced charges over their handling of 22 vehicles between January 2017 and December 2020. The Archbishop’s name surfaced during that trial. Former ZRA Board Secretary Suzyo Ngandu testified that three vehicles that had not been advertised for sale were given away, one to Archbishop Banda and two to the Heart of Mercy charity.

She told the court that the vehicles should have been sold through an internal tender process but were instead removed from the list and disposed of improperly. The prosecution argued that Chanda and Kaoma deliberately bypassed established disposal procedures, with some vehicles left out of official adverts. Those convictions established that the disposals were unlawful. The State’s case against the Archbishop now turns on the vehicle that reached him. He is the most prominent recipient to be charged in connection with the matter.

How the case unfolded

The summons first reached him on 31 December 2025, calling him before the DEC’s Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit on 5 January 2026. When he appeared, he was formally warned and cautioned and chose to remain silent. Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe and Makebi Zulu accompanied him that day. The file then went quiet for more than eight months. It returned last week, when the Archdiocese announced a renewed summons on 25 September.

The bishops read the first summons as political from the start. In January, the ZCCB said the action was an attempt to suppress his voice and described it as state-sponsored persecution over his stance on national governance. The DEC and police have taken the opposite view, framing it as a straightforward property matter. Police spokesperson Godfrey Chilabi warned the public against unlawful assemblies or processions and said police would act within the law to prevent unlawful conduct. The two agencies also appealed for restraint in public debate.

“Members of the public are urged to desist from issuing inflammatory statements,” DEC spokesperson Allan Tamba and Mr Chilabi said.

The political fallout

Opposition leaders have lined up behind the Archbishop. New Heritage Party president Chishala Kateka claimed an individual wants him removed from his position and said the Church does not act on external political pressure. She linked the case to other arrests, noting that former minister Katele Kalumba was re-arrested at Ibex Police Station on Saturday, and warned that any citizen could be next. She called for dialogue and reconciliation. The case now sits at the centre of a widening dispute between the Catholic Church and the State.

Dr Banda was born on 15 November 1963 in Mufulira. He served as Bishop of Solwezi from 2007, then Bishop of Ndola from 2010, and was Vice-President of the ZCCB between 2014 and 2017. Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Lusaka on 30 January 2018. He leads one of the largest and most influential dioceses in the country. His arrest will test relations between the Church and the State in the months ahead.

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