Convicted ex-Minister’s wife, Chirwa, renews appeal for bail, cites flaws in corruption trial

Wanziya Chirwa, the wife of former Home Affairs Minister, Stephen Kampyongo, has renewed her bail application before the High Court following her recent conviction.

Last month, Chirwa was sentenced to three years for corruption by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

In her affidavit supporting the bail request, she argued her appeal has strong prospects of success.

Chirwa highlighted that she initially applied for bail on September 30 after filing her intention to appeal.

However, the magistrate’s court dismissed her application on October 29.

Arguing that her conviction is for a bailable offense, Chirwa expressed concern that without bail, she could serve a significant part of her sentence before her appeal is heard.

She assured the court of traceable sureties and committed to attending all required hearings.

Chirwa’s grounds for appeal question several aspects of her conviction, arguing that the trial court lacked a solid factual basis for convicting her on charges of possessing property suspected to be proceeds of crime.

She also challenged the valuation of her assets, asserting that the court miscalculated her total assets at K23 million—a figure she claimed overstated her legitimate income by K20 million.

Furthermore, Chirwa argued that the court dismissed critical surveyor evidence without proper justification.

She remained remanded at Lusaka Central Female Correctional Facility.

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