FORMER deputy inspector general of police Charity Katanga has returned to jail to start serving her three year sentence after the Lusaka High Court dismissed her appeal against her conviction for possessing illegally obtained property.
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This includes 10 Higer buses, valued at K26,282,770, deemed proceeds of crime.
A panel of three judges; Judges Susan Wanjelani, Pixie Yangailo, and Annie Ononuju, upheld the subordinate court’s decision, which had found Katanga guilty.
The High Court further ordered that the 10 buses be forfeited to the State, affirming the lower court’s original ruling.
Katanga, who had been out on bail, was ordered to begin serving her sentence immediately.
“[Katanga] failed to prove to the court that the lower court erred when it convicted her,” The judges ruled stating there was no proper explanation for how she acquired the properties.
Magistrate Davies Chibwili had initially convicted and sentenced Katanga to three years of simple imprisonment on February 19, 2024, on one count of possession of property proven to be proceeds of crime.
Katanga appealed, insisting she had provided all relevant documents to prove her properties were not tainted.
Meanwhile, the Lusaka High Court also dismissed an appeal by former inter-city bus terminus commander Francis Muchemwa who was appealing a three-year sentence for possession of properties reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
The court ruled that Muchemwa, who was not on bail, will continue to serve his sentence from the date of his initial conviction.
Muchemwa sought to have his conviction and sentence set aside, arguing that Magistrate Chibwili erred in law by finding him guilty due to his failure to submit documentary evidence on a technicality.
He also requested a retrial. However, the High Court upheld the lower court’s decision, stating that Muchemwa failed to prove the source of his income and dismissed his appeal for lack of merit.
By Lucy Phiri
Kalemba July 1, 2025
