
Court Rules in Favour of Director of Public Prosecutions in Forfeiture Case Involving Former First Lady’s Properties
In a notable legal development, a panel of three court of appeal judges comprising of the judge president and vice president have ruled in favour of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in a Non-Conviction Based Forfeiture case concerning properties linked to former First Lady Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu. The DPP had filed an application seeking forfeiture of Property Number 9334/1, 9334/2, 9334/3, and 9334/4, comprising 15 Double Storey Flats in State Lodge, through a non-conviction-based process. The legal proceedings commenced on June 13, 2023, and were marked by legal complexities, including challenges related to jurisdiction and evidence compliance. Esther Nyawa Tembo Lungu, the interested party in this case, sought to halt the proceedings in the lower Court pending an appeal. However, the Court, after thorough deliberation, declined the application for a stay of proceedings. The Court’s decision centred on