The trial of Archbishop Alick Banda was due to open on Tuesday 3 November at the Lusaka Magistrates' Court. It did not. Before the first prosecution witness could be called, the State asked for more time, and Senior Resident Magistrate Mwandu Nakazwe adjourned the case to Friday 6 November, the Times of Zambia and the Zambian Observer reported.
The reason, as Deputy Chief State Advocate Mercy Lungu explained it to the court, was geography. The prosecutor assigned to cross-examine was in Solwezi, more than 700 kilometres away, attending to a matter before the Solwezi High Court; the notice of that hearing, the State said, had arrived after the trial dates in Lusaka were fixed. The magistrate granted the adjournment, saying the prosecution needed to be present to respond to a fresh motion from the defence, and that it was in the interest of justice to allow it.
The charge
The archbishop, who is 62, faces one count under Section 319 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87: being found in possession of property reasonably believed to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained. The particulars allege that between 22 April 2021 and 27 December 2023 he had in his possession a blue Toyota Hilux, registration ALF 7734, suspected to have been unlawfully obtained from the Zambia Revenue Authority. The vehicle is reported to be one of about 22 that the authority is alleged to have disposed of irregularly, which is the subject of a wider investigation. He has pleaded not guilty and is on K80,000 bail with three sureties.
News Diggers reported in mid-October, when Nakazwe set the trial for 3 November, that the particulars then gave the period as April 2021 to September 2023; the Times of Zambia and the Zambian Observer both give 27 December 2023 in their reports of Tuesday's hearing.
Confirmed vs. alleged
Confirmed: That the trial did not open on 3 November, that the State sought the adjournment because its prosecutor was before the Solwezi High Court, and that the matter returns on Friday 6 November, as reported by the Times of Zambia and the Zambian Observer. The charge, the vehicle and the bail terms are as reported by both outlets and by News Diggers in October.
Alleged or unverified: What the defence's fresh motion seeks, which neither report describes; whether the prosecution witnesses will be available on Friday; and the archbishop's guilt or innocence, which is for the court. He has pleaded not guilty.
Friday's sitting will show whether the State's witnesses are ready and what the defence motion is.
Sources: Times of Zambia, “Archbishop Alick Banda's trial adjourned” (3 Nov 2026); Zambian Observer, “FAITH, FAITHFUL AND A FORCE MAJEURE….Archbishop Banda's luxury truck trial grounded as State flight detours to Solwezi” (3 Nov 2026); News Diggers, “Bishop Banda's case adjourned to Nov 3 for trial” (15 Oct 2026).