Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Alick Banda will stand trial on November 3, 2026, on a charge of possessing a vehicle reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). Meanwhile, two Members of Parliament and a governance advocate joined calls for him to step aside from his church role until the case is concluded.
Archbishop Banda appeared before Lusaka Resident Magistrate Mwandu Nakazwe for mention. State advocate Muyangwa Sitali told the court the prosecution was ready to proceed to trial. The defence agreed to the date.
Archbishop Banda, 62, is accused of possessing a blue Toyota Hilux, registration number ALF 7734. The vehicle is reasonably suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the ZRA. The State alleges he had it in his possession between April 22, 2021 and December 27, 2023.
The Hilux was among 22 ZRA motor vehicles that were the subject of investigations into alleged irregular disposal.
The clergyman pleaded not guilty when he first appeared on September 28, 2026. He was granted bail of K80,000 with two sureties bound in K50,000 each, and he surrendered his travel documents as ordered by the court. He is represented by State Counsel John Sangwa and Mr Bonaventure Mutale, together with Mr Jeffrey Chimakata and Mr Mandela Nkunika.
Outside the courtroom, pressure on the Archbishop to leave the pulpit until the case ends continued to mount.
Kafue West MP Obvious Mwaliteta, a devout Catholic, said it would be morally prudent for Archbishop Banda to step down until the courts cleared his name, to preserve the integrity of the collar. He drew a distinction between the Church and the man.
“The Catholic Church does not have a case before the courts, it is an individual who has a case before the courts, in this case Archbishop Alick Banda. Had it been a politician like me with a case before the court, there could have been demands for me to step aside, so why should it be different for a clergyman,” Mr Mwaliteta said.
He said the Archbishop had the chance to clear his name before the courts and should step down while doing so, so as not to taint the Church’s image.
Bweengwa MP Kasauta Michelo went further, saying it was in the best interest of integrity for the Archbishop to resign. He said Archbishop Banda could seek reinstatement once the matter was disposed of.
“If he is found clean, he can go back to that position. I think that is better than one trying to force themselves to continue occupying a position of men of integrity yet they are facing questions before the courts of law,” Mr Michelo said.
Governance advocate Mr Ngande Mwanajiti said no one was above the law. He said one individual’s offence did not make an entire denomination guilty, and he noted that jurisdictions around the world, including the Vatican, had seen bishops prosecuted and convicted.
In a separate matter before the same court complex, the case involving former First Lady Mrs Esther Lungu and four others was adjourned to November 16, 2026, for mention and the fixing of trial dates. The matter came before Resident Magistrate Mbuyanwa Sinvula in chambers.
Mrs Lungu is jointly charged with police officers Mr James Phiri, 49, and Mr Lee Chisulo, 31, as well as Mr Kapembwa Lungu and her niece Ms Catherine Banda. The five face four counts of theft relating to three motor vehicles and a certificate of title belonging to Ms Elizabeth Phiri, for a property in Lusaka’s Libala Water Works area.
The State alleges the accused jointly stole a Mitsubishi Canter valued at K320,000, a Toyota Runx valued at K110,000 and a Toyota Allex valued at K110,000. The certificate of title relates to a property valued at K1.05 million. The trial has not proceeded since the death of former President Edgar Lungu in South Africa in June last year.
Archbishop Banda returns to court on November 3, when the State is expected to open its case.
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