<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lusaka | July 28, 2026 – The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) and the Legal Aid Board yesterday, Monday, July 27, 2026, agreed on a collaborative framework to roll out a national plea bargaining programme, beginning with inmate sensitisation at a correctional facility in or around Lusaka before expanding nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agreement followed high-level talks between the Learned Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mr. Gilbert A. Phiri, SC, and Legal Aid Director Mr. Humphrey Mweemba, alongside senior management from both institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collaboration is intended to expedite the resolution of criminal cases, ease overcrowding in correctional facilities and reduce the financial burden associated with prolonged incarceration. Eligible inmates will be sensitised on plea bargaining, the offences that qualify and the legal safeguards that govern the process before dedicated plea bargaining sessions are convened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NPA has already engaged the Judiciary, the Law Association of Zambia and the Zambia Correctional Service, reflecting a whole-of-sector approach to the reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The programme aligns with the Judiciary’s continued emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), a cause strongly championed by Chief Justice Dr Mumba Malila, SC, whose leadership in this area was further recognised with his election in June 2026 as Chairperson of the Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond plea bargaining, the meeting also strengthened collaboration in legal education. The Legal Aid Board has agreed to host interns under the National Prosecution Authority’s internship programme, enabling aspiring legal practitioners preparing for admission to the Bar to gain practical exposure to civil litigation alongside the criminal law training they receive at the Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussions also highlighted the NPA’s long-term commitment to developing its future prosecutorial workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through a structured internship programme, the Authority intends to identify, mentor and train young lawyers from the earliest stages of legal practice, creating a clear pathway from professional training to public prosecution. The approach reflects an investment in institutional continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The collaboration marks another important step in the NPA’s commitment to building a more efficient, accessible and responsive criminal justice system through strategic partnerships and innovative justice sector reforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lusaka | July 28, 2026 – The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) and the Legal Aid Board yesterday, Monday, July 27, 2026, agreed on a collaborative framework to roll out a national plea bargaining programme, beginning with inmate sensitisation at a correctional facility in or around Lusaka before expanding nationwide. The agreement followed high-level talks between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-6154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6156,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6154\/revisions\/6156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6154"},{"taxonomy":"table_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.npa.gov.zm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/table_tags?post=6154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}