AFTER ordering forfeiture of his properties to the State, a magistrate yesterday granted jailed former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo K500, 000 bail pending determination of an appeal against his three year jail term.
Lusaka chief resident magistrate Davies Chiwbili ordered forfeiture of Mr Lusambo’s properties, in Chamba Valley which were earlier deemed to be proceeds of crime.
Lusambo was facing two counts of possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime.
It was alleged that between May, 2015 and December 31, 2021, the accused had property number F/609/E/44/B/9, comprising a single storey four bedroomed house, guest wing and a car shed and six incomplete flats.
Magistrate Chibwili in August found Mr Lusambo guilty of the charges after it was established that value of the tainted properties’ was beyond his legitimate income sources.
After being jailed three years imprisonment with hard labour, the State applied that the Lusambo’s tainted properties, which include six incomplete flats, be forfeited to the State.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the convict opposed the forfeiture application and also appealed against the magistrate’s judgement at the High Court and further applied for bail pending appeal determination.
An interested party, Mukuka Munkonge, joined the proceedings and challenged the planned forfeiture of the six incomplete block of flats, arguing that the properties were his and not Mr Lusambo’s.
Mr Munkonge’s lawyers contended that he entered into a lease agreement with Mr Lusambo between 2018 and 2023, whose lease contract expired, and therefore, he now assumes ownership of the subject property.
When the case came up yesterday, magistrate Chibwili dismissed Lusambo’s bid to stop the forfeiture of the properties, which include his family house.
In respect of the six incomplete flats, the court found that it was proved that they were built on a leased land-consequently ordering Mr Lusambo to pay K5.2million to the state, which is equivalent of the said flats.
Regards bail application, magistrate granted bail in the sum of K500, 000, in his own recognizance.
He also ordered him to provide three credible sureties, also bound to K500, 000, which will not be paid, unless Mr Lusambo flees.
Even if bail was granted to Mr Lusambo, he is stuck in jail because he is serving another four year jail term imposed on him by another magistrate.
(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 2nd December, 2025)