LUSAKA, Zambia |July 22, 2025
In a bold, game-changing move, the National Prosecution Authority has raised the stakes in Zambia’s battle against financial crime, launching a comprehensive set of Guidelines for the Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes.

This marks a historic turning point in the country’s judicial framework, as the NPA gears up to tackle high-level corruption, money laundering, and financial impropriety with unprecedented precision.

At a ceremony attended by top government officials, the learned Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Gilbert A. Phiri SC, delivered a powerful message on the scale of the challenge ahead. “We’re not dealing with petty criminals,” the DPP declared, emphasising that these crimes are committed by the elite, “individuals dressed in suits and driving expensive cars, but motivated by an insatiable greed that puts our economy at risk.”

The DPP credited the launch not only to local expertise but also to a sustained, meaningful partnership with the EnACT Zambia Programme, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

“This document you see before you is not just a manual. It is the culmination of years of intentional investment, knowledge exchange, and strategic collaboration,” he said.

He went on to highlight the full extent of GIZ’s contribution to strengthening Zambia’s prosecutorial muscle:

• 2023 Inaugural National Prosecutors’ Conference in Livingstone, where the need for the guidelines was first identified;
• 2024 Second Prosecutors’ Conference in Lusaka, which refined the roadmap for their development;
• Study visits to Kenya and Germany, where NPA officers gained firsthand experience in financial crime prosecution;
• Specialised joint trainings on investigating and prosecuting economic and financial crimes;

And now, the launch of the Guidelines themselves, fully supported and enabled by GIZ through the EnACT Programme.

“The support has been nothing short of transformational,” the DPP remarked. “We are truly indebted, not just for what this partnership has produced, but for how it has shaped the capacity and confidence of our prosecutors.”

The learned DPP did not mince words about the value of the partnership,
“We are not just grateful, we are empowered. What we’ve achieved through our collaboration with the EnACT Programme and GIZ has already begun to redefine how we fight crime in this country. The results are visible. The momentum is real. And our resolve is stronger than ever.”

With the Judiciary already operationalising specialised Economic and Financial Crimes Courts, the DPP made it clear that the launch of these guidelines comes not a moment too soon.

“The complexity, transnational nature, and sheer scale of these crimes demand that we move with equal sophistication. The old ways of working simply won’t cut it anymore. These guidelines are part of a smarter, stronger frontline.”

The DPP ended with a charge to all prosecutors to embrace the guidelines not just as a manual, but as a renewed call to duty.

“Take these guidelines and go forth with renewed resolve,” he urged. “Let us prosecute with purpose. Let us restore public trust. Let us fight financial crime like the future of this nation depends on it, because it does.”

The Prosecutors’ Guidelines for the Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes are now officially adopted.