The Economic and Financial Crimes Division of the Subordinate Court has ordered the forfeiture of four houses and a luxury vehicle belonging to former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo, ruling that the properties were illicitly acquired.

The Court granted the State’s forfeiture request, which was pursued by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) following Lusambo’s conviction on corruption charges. The properties, valued at $378,000, and a black Range Rover worth 3 million kwacha (approximately $150,000), will now be transferred to the State.

In her ruling , Magistrate Faides Hamaundu determined that the properties were proceeds of crime and therefore subject to forfeiture. The judgment specifically applied to counts two, seven, eight, nine, and ten of the charges brought against Lusambo. The properties in question include:

A black Range Rover valued at K3,000,000 (count two)

A house identified as HT: T3 HN#:248, worth $60,000 (count seven)

A house identified as HT: T3 HN#:249, worth $60,000 (count eight)

A house identified as HT: T3 HN#:282, worth $128,000 (count nine)

A house identified as HN#:357, worth $130,000 (count ten)

The ruling follows Lusambo’s conviction on November 8, 2024, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Court sentenced him to four years of hard labor for corruptly acquiring the properties. His wife, who was co-accused in the case, was acquitted of all charges.

The forfeiture was made under Sections 4 and 6(1), as read with Section 10, of Zambia’s Forfeiture of Proceeds of Crime Act No. 19 of 2010, which allows the State to seize assets deemed to have been obtained through unlawful means.

The Anti-Corruption Commission welcomed the ruling, stating that it underscores the government’s commitment to fighting corruption. “The Commission will not relent in pursuing and recovering any property illicitly acquired and returning these to the people of Zambia, who are the rightful owners,” the ACC said in a statement.

Lusambo, a former lawmaker for Kabushi, had previously denied any wrongdoing. His legal team has not yet commented on whether they will appeal the forfeiture ruling.