Zambia

Malawi hosts first regional workshop on managing seized assets

Crime must not pay, but what we recover must also be worth recovering. With these words, Charles Mhango, Malawi's Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, opened the first Regional Asset Management Workshop in Salima, Malawi, on 29 September 2026. Over two days, nearly 40 prosecutors, law enforcement representatives and asset management officers from Ghana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia worked with international experts on a practical question. How do you stop seized assets losing value while a criminal case makes its way through the courts? The workshop was organised by the Basel Institute's International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of Malawi, led by Fostino Yankho Maele. Ben Nicholson, British Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director, and representatives of the Royal Norwegian Embassy also took part. Warm thanks to ICAR’s donors, in particular the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad , for funding this valuable meeting of minds. A shared challenge Criminal cases can take years. In that time, seized cars rust, buildings fall into disrepair and businesses collapse. When an asset loses its value, everyone loses. The state recovers less if the suspect is convicted, and the owner gets back less if they are acquitted. Practitioners increasingly understand that asset management is an essential part of asset recovery. The difficulty lies in the detail. - Resources are often limited, and laws do not always allow assets to be managed or sold before a case ends. - Essential good practices such as pre-seizure planning are still new in many places. - Complex assets such as companies, mines or petrol stations need specialist skills that prosecutors and police do not typically have. These problems are by no means unique to Africa. Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director of the Basel Institute, reminded participants that practitioners everywhere face them. A representative of Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau reinforced the point with the country’s own experience of managing seized real estate. Learning from experience Participants were eager to share what had worked for them and what had not. The camaraderie among practitioners was evident, which kept the discussions dynamic and encouraged peer learning. Complex, income-generating assets came up again and again. One jurisdiction described managing a mine that was already struggling financially even before the price of its commodity fell sharply. Other delegations spoke about their efforts to ensure that tenants of seized properties paid rent to the state instead of to suspects. There were positive experiences too. In one jurisdiction, seized assets put up for auction sold for more than their initial asking prices. The countries represented at the workshop are now seeking to move towards specialised models and streamlined procedures for managing seized assets. No single model The clearest message from the two days was that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to asset management. A house, a fleet of tankers, a bank account and a crypto wallet each need different handling. What works in one legal system may not work in another. That gives African jurisdictions an opportunity. They can learn from shared experiences in the region and beyond, and build models and processes that suit their own needs and circumstances. Next steps The discussions will inform broad principles that participating jurisdictions can adapt to their own systems. A specialised focus group on managing seized cryptoassets is also launching under the Basel Institute’s Africa Crypto & Asset Recovery Network. Through our ICAR field experts in Africa and our international partners, we look forward to supporting the region’s asset management and recovery professionals as they develop the policies, laws and practices needed to manage criminal assets and recover maximum value for victims and the state. Learn more - Read the Malawi Ministry of Justice press release on the workshop. - See Rita Simões’ Quick Guide to Managing Seized and Confiscated Assets.

Zambia convicts former foreign minister in "helicopter corruption trial" with international support

Warm congratulations to our partners at the Drug Enforcement Commission and National Prosecution Authority of Zambia for a successful outcome in a high-profile corruption case involving Zambia’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs. Former Minister Joseph Malanji was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on 4 September 2025, having been convicted of seven out of eight counts of corruption. The offences include the misappropriation of funds designated for one of Zambia's overseas diplomatic missions and the acquisition of two helicopters with illicitly obtained funds. Former Treasury Secretary Fredson Yamba also received a three-year sentence in the same case, which involved the irregular transfer of K108 million around USD 4.5 million from the public treasury. The multinational investigation involved close cooperation with agencies in several jurisdictions, including the Asset Forfeiture Unit of South Africa, which moved swiftly to identify and freeze one of the helicopters. Assistance from the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR and Stolen Asset Recovery StAR Initiative also proved vital. Gilbert Phiri, Zambia’s Director of Public Prosecutions said: The conviction of the former Minister, in this instance, demonstrates that Zambia is serious about fighting grand corruption and holding those responsible for misappropriating resources for their own benefit, to account. We are grateful to our international counterparts for their essential cooperation in the recovery of the proceeds and to our partners in ICAR and StAR for their support. Training and case assistance The Basel Institute has been working with the Zambian authorities since 2021, through specialist ICAR advisors embedded with partner agencies. The advisors provide technical assistance on complex financial crime cases, including through training and case-based support. The programme is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which is also a core donor to ICAR. Commenting on the success, ICAR Director Iker Lekuona said: Our training is carefully tailored to the laws and procedures of the countries in which it is delivered and focuses on a follow-the-money approach. This is complemented by our case support team who work hand in glove with investigators and prosecutors to achieve results like these. I am delighted to see the fruits of these efforts, which we hope will deter further corruption and increase citizen trust in government. GFAR Action Series in action Zambia has also benefited from being a focus country of the Global Forum on Asset Recovery GFAR Action Series for the last two years. This is a platform for asset recovery practitioners to make progress on priority cases through direct engagement and meetings. ICAR partners closely with the Stolen Asset Recovery StAR Initiative and International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre IACCC in the initiative. Emile van der Does, Coordinator of the StAR Initiative, said: This confiscation through the GFAR Action Series shows the power of cross-border cooperation. Congratulations to Zambia, South Africa and ICAR for their leadership in returning assets and reinforcing accountability. The StAR Initiative is delighted that the GFAR Action Series platform could help facilitate this outcome. South Africa: rapid asset seizures Adv. Ouma Rabaji-Rasethaba, Head of the Asset Forfeiture Unit of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority, said: I think this is going to strengthen anti-corruption in Southern Africa. We need to have both convictions but also the recovery of illicitly acquired assets. Our cooperation demonstrates that South Africa is no haven for the proceeds of crime and that the Asset Forfeiture Unit will use all powers at its disposal to recover those proceeds, no matter how senior the culprits might be. This is evidence of the rule of law in action and we are committed to working hand in hand with our international partners in this endeavour. Learn more Article in the Lusaka Times : Malanji Convicted in Helicopter and Property Corruption Case About the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR About the Stolen Asset Recovery StAR Initiative of the World Bank and UNODC and the Global Forum on Asset Recovery GFAR Action Series.

Zambia: Five local trainers certified to train peers in financial investigations and asset recovery

Congratulations to five talented individuals from Zambia’s law enforcement agencies and prosecution service, who have successfully completed the train-the-trainer programme of our International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR . Now certified as ICAR trainers, they will be able to deliver ICAR’s high-impact financial investigations and asset recovery training to peers across the country. This will greatly boost Zambia’s efforts to build capacity to investigate corruption and confiscate illicit assets, at home and abroad. Newly certified trainer Lloyd Kabwela, speaking on behalf of the group of five, described “the opportunity to be identified as trainers by ICAR as a great honour and privilege”. Thanks to the mentoring and guidance of ICAR’s training team, he confirmed they were “ready to be used” to support Zambia’s efforts to target the illicit profits of corruption and other serious crime. The other new trainers are Darlington Mukelelabo, Sipholiano Phiri, Hastings Sichone and Sibongile Mwansa. The successful train-the-trainer programme supports the sustainability of our ongoing work in Zambia, which is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO , as well as the country’s self-reliance. A proud moment for Zambia During his opening remarks at the final workshop, Zambia’s Director of Public Prosecutions Gilbert Phiri, applauded ICAR for its sustainable approach to its work in Zambia. He stated: The culmination of this training programme is a proud moment for Zambia in our fight against international crime and corruption. By having certified trainers in financial investigations and asset recovery, we are poised to further build the local cadre of experts in this area. As Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Framework on Collaboration and Cooperation, which has now expanded to the Copperbelt and North Western Province, I pledge to ensure that as many practitioners as possible are trained in anti-money laundering investigations and recovery of assets by the five experts who will be certified this week. We will not relent in sharpening the skills of investigators and prosecutors whose role on a daily basis involves the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and corruption offences including the tracing and recovery of assets. He further thanked ICAR for its dedication, stating: We value the partnership we continue to enjoy with you. You are the real deal. We have seen the effects of your efforts and we thank you. In closing remarks, the Director General of Zambia’s Financial Intelligence Centre, Clement Kapula, commented that many participants had confirmed the training had delved into critical topics, explored best practices and engaged in thought-provoking discussions on topics such as indirect methods of proving a crime. About the train-the-trainer programme ICAR’s train-the-trainer programme is a comprehensive process of five workshops that is further described in our training brochure. In Zambia, the one-year TTT programme commenced in Lusaka in April 2024, where the five individuals were selected. Over the next workshops they gradually gained skills, knowledge and responsibilities, leading to them independently delivering the final workshop to their peers in March 2025 under the observation of our ICAR training team. In addition to delivering the content, the certified trainers have been instructed on managing the logistics for a successful training using the ICAR’s “learning by doing” methodology, which combines in-person and tech-powered delivery methods. They will deliver the training using a customised online platform, Zambia LEARN, which was developed by our IT team and is based on our popular Basel LEARN virtual learning platform. Over the course of the five workshops, 119 practitioners were trained alongside the certified trainers. Of these, 49 were women. The final workshop saw a similar mix of practitioners from magistrates, prosecutors, Zambia Anti-Corruption Commission and Drug Enforcement Commission investigators, police officers, and representatives from the Finance Intelligence Centre, Department of Immigration, Department of National Parks and Wildlife, and Forestry Department of the Ministry of Green Economy. Special thanks We express our gratitude to the Inter-Agency Coordination and Cooperation Framework for its collaboration in the TTT programme in Zambia. In particular, we extend special thanks to Gilbert Phiri, Director of Public Prosecutions, for his commitment to ensuring the success of the TTT programme. We thank our partners at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for funding the TTT programme and for their continued support for ICAR’s assistance in building the capacity of committed individuals, agencies and countries to combat corruption and financial crime and to recover illicit assets for reinvestment in public services and development.

Asset recovery in Zambia reaching new heights with train-the-trainer programme

Zambia’s multi-agency approach to fighting corruption has gained further momentum as our International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR training team conducted another successful workshop on financial investigations and asset recovery in Lusaka. This was the fourth in a series of five workshops under our train-the-trainer TTT programme for Zambia. The train-the-trainer programme ensures the long-term sustainability of ICAR’s engagement in Zambia by increasing local training capacity, complementing the work of our embedded advisors. With the support and funding of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office FCDO , the TTT programme mentors and equips five selected local anti-corruption professionals with the skills to become certified ICAR trainers. At the same time, up to 125 other participants are trained with knowledge and skills on essential topics like investigating and prosecuting money laundering, conducting complex financial analysis and mutual legal assistance. The fourth workshop brought together 25 representatives, including 11 women, from the National Prosecuting Authority, the Judiciary, the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Financial Intelligence Centre, the Zambia Police Service, the Drug Enforcement Commission and the Patents and Companies Registration Agency. Zambia’s commitment leads to increasing success In her opening remarks, the Acting Director General of the Zambia Anti-Corruption Commission, Madam Monica Chipanta Mwansa, stressed Zambia’s ongoing commitment to multi-agency asset recovery action. She expressed her excitement at seeing the combined expertise from the key institutions in asset recovery and the fight against financial crime. She also encouraged all participants to engage fully in the training, ask questions and share insights, saying that together we can create: an environment of collaboration and innovation that empowers all of us to combat financial crime more effectively. A passionate prosecutor of many years, Madam Mwansa confirmed: The illicit activities of corruption and money laundering not only pose significant threats to the stability of the Zambian economy, but also erode the foundations of trust within our communities. Corruption diverts resources meant for the public good, while money laundering systematically legitimises funds derived from illicit activities. She pointed out that asset recovery was a crucial component of the fight against financial crime. Recovering lost or misappropriated assets was not only a financial imperative but also a matter of restoring justice and fairness. The recovery of stolen assets represented hope for victims and served as an important deterrent for corruption, sending a clear message to perpetrators that their actions would not go unpunished. Indeed, Zambia has in the last few years achieved significant success in recovering stolen assets, including through non-conviction based forfeiture. Practical applicability is key It was no surprise that the workshop participants were particularly interested in the variety of different approaches and strategies they could use under Zambian law to recover assets linked to financial crimes. Participants of the fourth TTT workshop specifically appreciated the very practical skills they gained regarding electronic file organisation and financial analysis using Excel, saying that they can apply them straight away in their work. Learn more See our specialised ICAR training programmes for law enforcement agencies and download a brochure in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Watch this short video to get a taste of ICAR’s training approach.

Train-the-trainer programme in Zambia to build on asset recovery momentum

The Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR has marked the beginning of a new “train-the-trainer” programme in Zambia with a successful course on financial investigations and asset recovery. The train-the-trainer programme aims to increase local training capacity by equipping five local anti-corruption professionals with the skills to become qualified ICAR trainers over the course of five workshops, while simultaneously training up to 125 other participants. Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the first course saw the attendance of 27 participants, including nine women, from various law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. Bringing judges, prosecutors and investigators from a wide range of agencies together is an important aspect of the ICAR training methodology, and part of the Basel Institute’s broader support for Zambia’s multi-agency approach to fighting corruption. At the start of the training, a minute of silence was observed in honour of Gretta Fenner, the Institute’s late Managing Director, who had tragically passed away three weeks before. In his opening remarks, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Gilbert Phiri, eulogised Gretta as “one of the most remarkable individuals one could ever meet.” An “informative and practical” training The course focused on identifying and confiscating illicit assets through the use of criminal and civil forfeiture mechanisms, both of which are regularly used in the Zambian context. All course elements were tailored to local laws, including the simulated investigation into a fictitious Director of Public Works in the Ministry of Internal Development. In unravelling the complex schemes used by this Director to benefit himself and his family, course participants gained a thorough knowledge of the offences outlined in Zambia’s bribery and money laundering legislation and an understanding of the importance of matching evidence to these offences. The participants appreciated the practical nature of the training, with one commenting, Overall, the training has been very informative and practical; financial investigations and asset recovery are essential tools in the fight against corruption and financial crimes. Engaging with the different stakeholders helps us to assess our effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen our capacity to combat illicit financial flows and promote accountability and transparency in financial systems. I would like to thank and encourage Basel Institute for this training and to continue with the good work of imparting this knowledge. Building on momentum in asset recovery His Excellency Nicholas Woolley, British High Commissioner for Zambia, presided over the closure of the training workshop. In his remarks, he reiterated the British Government’s commitment to supporting Zambia’s multi-agency approach to combating corruption and other serious economic crimes. The High Commissioner has also recently publicly acknowledged the collaboration between ICAR and government agencies, and noted in a local media interview that recent asset recovery results are “impressive” and “show that things are moving”. Indeed, Zambia currently has great momentum in asset recovery, with recent record recoveries of cash amounting to over ZMW 770 million around USD 30 million . This train-the-trainer course aims to ensure that this momentum can be sustained, by helping to grow and solidify local capacity in asset recovery and financial investigations. Our programme of work in Zambia is implemented by our International Centre for Asset Recovery, which also benefits from core funding from the Governments of Jersey, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.

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