Former Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo’s wife, Wanziya Chirwa, has been granted bail by the Court of Appeal after spending one year in jail, where she was serving a three-year sentence for being in possession of property suspected to be proceeds of crime.
Ms Chirwa was convicted in September last year by the Lusaka Magistrate’s Court on seven counts of possessing property reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime, part of a larger K29 million case in which she and her husband jointly faced 12 charges. Mr Kampyongo had been charged with five counts, but Magistrate Sylvia Munyinya-Okoh acquitted him of all charges, while convicting Ms Chirwa.
Following her conviction, Ms Chirwa immediately appealed to the High Court’s Economic and Financial Crimes Court (EFCC), arguing that the magistrate misdirected herself both in law and in fact. She simultaneously applied for bail pending appeal, submitting that her appeal held reasonable prospects of success and that the three-year sentence was short, meaning she risked serving a significant portion before her appeal could even be heard due to the voluminous court record.
However, both the State and the courts were initially unsympathetic.
The State opposed the application, insisting that Ms Chirwa had not demonstrated any exceptional circumstances that could warrant bail. Magistrate Munyinya denied her bail application, forcing Ms Chirwa to approach the High Court—where she faced the same fate.
In July this year, the High Court’s EFCC dealt another blow to her legal battle when it dismissed her appeal and upheld the lower court’s conviction. Still determined to challenge the verdict, Ms Chirwa escalated the matter to the Court of Appeal, again applying for bail pending the final outcome of her case.
This time, the appellate court sided with her.
A panel led by Court of Appeal Judge Betty Majuba ruled that Ms Chirwa’s appeal raises serious and arguable issues deserving full consideration. The court further acknowledged that, if kept in custody, she risked serving a substantial portion of her three-year sentence before the appeal is concluded—effectively defeating the purpose of her legal challenge.
“…accordingly, bail pending appeal is granted,” Justice Majuba ruled.
Ms Chirwa’s release marks a significant turn in a protracted legal battle closely watched by the public, given the high-profile nature of the case and its implications for accountability and due process within Zambia’s justice system.
Picture:Stephen Kampyongo with Wanziya Chirwa
By Kucalo Reporter