The Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the High Court has dismissed former Deputy Inspector-General of Police Charity Katanga’s appeal, upholding her February 2024 conviction, three-year sentence, and forfeiture of assets to the State. She is expected to begin serving her sentence today, with further details to follow.

CASE RECAP
Conviction & Sentence (Feb 19, 2024)-
Katanga was found guilty of possessing ten Higer buses valued at over K26 million which were deemed to be proceeds of crime under the Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act. She was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment .

ASSET FORFEITURE (Jul 2, 2024)
Following her conviction, the Lusaka Subordinate Court ordered the forfeiture of the ten buses and K1,522,005.15 from her Chibeka Express Ltd account to the State, confirming these assets as tainted .

APPEAL THROWN-OUT –
The High Court has now dismissed her appeal, fully sustaining the original conviction, sentence, and forfeiture orders. Katanga will begin serving her three-year sentence as of today.

BACKGROUND
Between 2017 and 2022, Katanga used illicit funds to purchase luxury buses, far exceeding her reported earnings. Chief Resident Magistrate Davies Chibwili emphasised during the initial trial that her defence failed to explain the unexplained gap between her income and expenditure – a shortfall of over K18 million .

Her conviction sent strong waves across the public sector, serving as a stern reminder that those entrusted with law and order are not above accountability .

WHAT’S NEXT?*
Katanga is expected to report to the correctional facility today to begin serving her sentence. Additional updates and reaction statements will be released as they become available.

Stay tuned for further coverage, including legal analyses and implications for anti-corruption efforts in Zambia.