The Lusaka Subordinate Court has acquitted former National Authorising Officer of the European Union Development Fund (NAO-EDF), Chasiya Kazembe, together with Mwansa Chitoshi and Bwalya Stanley Kasonde Chiti, of all major corruption-related charges after ruling that the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In a judgment delivered by Magistrate Silvia Munyinya-Okoh on 29 June 2026, the court found that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support allegations of conspiracy to defraud, abuse of authority of office, obtaining money by false pretences, and money laundering. The magistrate emphasized that criminal convictions cannot be based on suspicion alone.
The court held that the prosecution failed to establish the essential elements of the offences, leading to the acquittal of all three accused on the substantive charges. The only conviction was against Mr Chiti for acting as an advocate without a valid practising certificate. He was fined K800 or, in default, sentenced to 14 days’ simple imprisonment, bringing the four-year prosecution to a close.