FORMER foreign affairs minister Joseph Malanji will continue sleeping under correctional supervision after the High Court rejected his attempt to get bail pending appeal.
In a ruling delivered by a three-judge panel, the court said Malanji had failed to show exceptional reasons why he should be released while challenging his four-year jail sentence.
Malanji, who was convicted last year on seven counts of possessing proceeds of crime, had hoped the judges would allow him to fight his appeal from the comfort of outside prison walls.
However, his application failed to gain entry.
The former minister was sentenced on September 3, 2025, after a subordinate court also ordered that helicopters and three Silverrest properties be forfeited to the State.
Through his lawyers, Makebi Zulu Advocates, Malanji argued that his appeal raised important legal questions, including whether a company director can personally answer for company property.
He also complained that by the time the appeal is concluded, he may have already served a good portion of his sentence.
However, the National Prosecution Authority opposed the application, saying Malanji’s arguments were not groundbreaking legal matters but ordinary disagreements with the trial court’s findings.
The State further reminded the court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Court moves faster, meaning the appeal would be heard within set timelines.
After examining the application and the 14 grounds of appeal, the judges concluded that Malanji’s chances of overturning the conviction looked slimmer.
They ruled that complaints over evidence, valuation of properties and company liability had either already been dealt with or did not amount to exceptional circumstances.
The court also said serving part of a sentence is not a free ticket to bail.
This means Malanji remains in lawful custody while his helicopters and Silverrest properties continue resting in State hands.
By George Musonda
Kalemba April 24, 2026
