Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda of the Archdiocese of Lusaka has been formally summoned by Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to appear before its Anti-Money Laundering Investigations Unit (AMLIU) amidst ongoing inquiries. The summons, dated December 31, 2025, instructs Archbishop Banda to report to the DEC offices in Lusaka, specifically at the former Ministry of Justice Building, on January 5, 2026, at 10:00 hours. This legal directive, issued under Section 26(e) of the Prohibition and Prevention of Money Laundering Act No. 14 of 2001, compels the Archbishop to present himself before an Anti-Money Laundering Officer. The document was signed by the Head of the AMLIU on behalf of the Director General of the Drug Enforcement Commission.

The summoning of Archbishop Banda has stirred considerable tension within the Catholic community. While the specific nature of the investigations and the allegations prompting the summons remain undisclosed, the legal obligation for his appearance is clear. The case highlights the evolving legal landscape in Zambia, where the state asserts its supremacy in matters of criminal law enforcement, a stark contrast to historical precedents where the Catholic Church sometimes held quasi-sovereign status in certain regions, making the prosecution of clergy more challenging.

Zambian jurisprudence dictates that if investigations yield sufficient evidence of wrongdoing that meets the threshold for criminal charges, and a subsequent conviction is secured in a competent court, then imprisonment is a viable punitive measure against Archbishop Dr. Banda. This is not the first instance of the Commission's interaction with the Archbishop; in 2024, the DEC notably seized a motor vehicle belonging to him, which was allegedly a gift from the late Sixth Republican President, His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu. Efforts to obtain an immediate comment from the Archdiocese of Lusaka were reportedly unsuccessful following the issuance of the summons.