Judge reserves ruling on request to release Gen Sakala’s passport

THE state has submitted that Lieutenant General Andrew Sakala’s reasons advanced in applying for the release of his passport are not compelling enough.

This is in a matter where Lt Gen Sakala, the former Zambia Air Force commandant, has applied for a temporal release of his passport to enable him travel to Zimbabwe for a funeral.

“It is our contention as the state in this matter that the reason advanced by the appellant is not compelling enough going by the expense accompanying the conditions that were set in the case cited,” argued Anti-Corruption Commission chief legal and prosecutions officer Kapetwa Phiri.

 

Phiri, however, noted that varying bail conditions was at the discretion of the court and would leave it to the court to decide.

Lt Gen Sakala’s lawyer Nganga Yalenga submitted that his client lost a sister in Zimbabwe and was praying to the court to grant him the temporal release of the passport that was surrendered to the state as part of bail conditions.

Yalenga said the passport would enable his client travel to Zimbabwe to, among other things, pay his last respects to his sister and perform other African customs following her death.

And Lusaka High Court judge Florence Lengalenga has reserved ruling in the matter to enable her access the authorities that had been cited by the parties.

Last year, Lt Gen Sakala was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted of stealing K1.5 million public funds and has since appealed to the High Court.

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