Magistrate dismisses State’s flight-risk claims, grants Mukandila K20,000 bail
….after court records Not Guilty Pleas in Mukandila case
Lusaka, October 1,2026
Here is the verbatim of the proceedings
Court: reads the indictment
Count 1; I understand the charge and i plead not guilty
Count 2; I understand the charge and i plead not guilty
Count 3; I understand the charge and I plead not guilty
In count 4; I understand the charge and I plead not guilty
Magistrate Holland; The court records a plea of not guilty in four counts
State: We seek an adjournment and we will call 4 witnesses.
Defense Lawyer Jonathan V.K Phiri : Your honor we would like to make an application for bail pending trial. However before that application is made we would like to bring to.the attention of the court that there is a high court ruling on constitutional bond. Celestine Mukandila vs The People.
Your honor this Constitutional bail address the immigration charges against the accused. The High Court extended the Constitutional Bail to the current charges before this court giving reason that the accused was never released from state custody when he was charged with the charges before this court.
Your honor the High court granted the bail application set the bail conditions and all met. However the accused was not released from custody. Yout honor before you, i have the High Court ruling, the order was not followed by the state.
Your honor having stared we would like to proceed with the bail pending trial application pursuant to section 123 of the criminal procedure code. Your honor the accused is of fixed aboard, he is willing to provide surities and he will.not temper with any witness..He will not abscond and very much willing to.abide by all the conditions the offences before.this court are all bailed offences. Much obliged your honor.
Further your honor in an event that the court grants bail the sum should not be excessive but within the reach of what the accused is capable of paying.
State Prosecutor Lewis Loti: We object the application because the accused is a flight risk.and his IDs are questionable. Also his Citizenship is questionable if he is granted bail there is no guarantee that he will appear before this court.
Court: The accused person stands charged with the offence of forgery and uttering false documents. I have considered the application and the response by the state. The purpose of bail is not punish the accused person and the accused remains innocent until proven guilty and that bail is meant to secure the accused person’s attendance of court proceedings. No documents have been placed before this court that the accused may abscond the court must determine the application on the material evidence placed before it. The offences are available i therefore find that the state has not given sufficient reasons
I therefore give cash bail of k20, 000 and two surities on the sum of k15, 000 each the accused shall not interfere with any prosecution witness and will surrender all the travelling documents and will report to court clerk before leaving the jurisdiction of this court. Matter adjourned to the 13 of October 2026 for Commencement of trial, the accused is remanded in custody till he meets the bail conditions.
In this matter Tonse Pamodzi Alliance Secretary General and lawyer Celestin Mukandila is facing four counts, including two counts of uttering false documents and two counts of forgery, allegedly committed between July 14, 2022 and July 25, 2024 in Lusaka.
The first count alleges that he knowingly and fraudulently uttered a letter of surrender of shares to ZRIMS Farm Limited relating to Yae es Salim Sheth, while the second alleges that he forged Sheth’s signature on a PACRA Form 12 concerning the surrender of shares.
The third count alleges that Mukandila forged Sheth’s signature on a letter of surrender of shares to ZRIMS Farm Limited, while the fourth alleges that he knowingly and fraudulently uttered a PACRA Form 12 relating to the surrender of Sheth’s shares.
Mukandila has been in detention for more than a month.
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