A court in Zambia has admitted as evidence the country's Gulfstream Aerospace presidential jet, G650 AF001 (msn 6335), in a high-profile USD573.9 million corruption case involving a former permanent defence ministry secretary, Stardy Mwale, and five others.
The case at Lusaka Magistrates Court centres on alleged violations of procurement laws, involving Mwale along with former defence secretary Michael Obister Mbewe and former defence ministry staff Frank Sinyangwe, Esabel Willima Chinji, Evaristo Sakala, and John Phiri.
The Gulfstream jet, which has been at the centre of the controversy, was presented as a key piece of evidence in the ongoing trial. According to the Zambian Broadcasting Corporation and Zambian investigative journal News Diggers, the court's decision to admit the aircraft as evidence marked a significant development in the case, which has drawn attention due to the alleged involvement of such high-ranking public officials.
In November 2024, the court had denied a request for site visits to Zambian Air Force facilities in Lusaka, Ndola Peter Zuze AFB, and Livingstone, declaring that Charles Lungu, a former defence ministry procurement director, was not qualified to identify materials related to the jet at the facilities. Lungu, who testified in the case, admitted to signing invoices for its procurement without full knowledge of the contract.
Mwale, arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in December 2022, faces multiple charges including failing to follow proper procurement procedures for a USD400 million tender awarded to Israeli contractor Elbit Systems in 2017, unlawfully altering a USD123.9 million contract in 2019, and facilitating a fraudulent USD50 million payment to Elbit.
Additionally, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court has ordered the forfeiture of a farm allegedly illicitly acquired by Mwale in 2019 for USD2.5 million using suspected criminal proceeds. The farm was seized by the ACC in 2022 as part of ongoing investigations into a USD47 million supply contract for the Ministry of Defence.
