MUKANDILA’S FORGERY TRIAL OPENS, BUT PACRA PHOTOCOPIES TRIGGER EVIDENCE BATTLE
Lusaka | November 6, 2026 – The trial of embattled Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance Secretary General and lawyer Celestine Mukandila commenced today before the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court, with the prosecution calling two witnesses in a case involving alleged forgery of company documents relating to ZRIMS Farm Limited.
Mukandila faces four counts: two of forgery and two of uttering false documents. The State alleges that he forged businessman Yaees Salim Sheth’s signature on documents purporting to show that Sheth had surrendered his shares in the company. Mukandila has pleaded not guilty.
The first witness, Sheth, disputed the signature and denied voluntarily leaving the company or writing a letter indicating that he was relinquishing his interests. However, his cross-examination raised an important question: he reportedly acknowledged that he was not present when the disputed signature was written and did not know who forged it..
The second witness, a senior registration officer from the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA), testified about company registration, changes in directorship and shareholding, and the agency’s electronic record-management system, identified as ZATOL.
She explained that the system is accessed through individual passwords, maintained by the IT department and periodically serviced. The prosecution sought to produce PACRA records relating to changes in company particulars, share transfers, share allotments and directorship.
However, the defence objected when the State attempted to produce the electronic records, arguing that the documents presented were photocopies. The court adjourned to examine the documents and deliver a ruling on their admissibility, interrupting the officer’s testimony.
The objection raises important questions about the authenticity, reliability and admissibility of photocopied and electronically generated company records.
Mukandila’s legal troubles come amid a separate controversy over his nationality. Government previously cancelled his NRC and Zambian passport through Gazette Notice No. 1418 of 2026, a decision he challenged in the High Court, maintaining that he is Zambian by descent through his late mother.
The nationality dispute is separate from the forgery proceedings.
At the centre of the criminal trial is whether the prosecution can establish not only that Sheth’s signature was falsified, but also that Mukandila was responsible.
The PACRA records could prove important in establishing how the disputed company changes were processed, but their admission will not, by itself, establish criminal responsibility.
The trial continues, with the court’s ruling on the disputed documents now a significant development to watch. This matter is being prosecuted by Lusaka Province within the National Prosecution Authority, by Ms. Gertrude Mwiinga.
Mukandila remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.