Since the news of money laundering and the involvement of high-end lawyers and legal counsellors across Zambia broke out, the buzzer has been going on ever since regarding further investigation as well as level of punishment the offenders and accusers should be given. Top lawyers like Sakwiba Sikota and Masozi Banda have been caught in illegal cash transactions that amount to more than USD 1 billion dollars. This news has certainly left the country in shock and extreme difficulty, as some of the top ministers of the government have been involved. The act has been lambasted by top corporate giants such as Dr. Rajan Mahtani, who have demanded strict punishment for those misusing their power and position for personal benefits.

As per the reports, estimated 35,000 plus cash transactions were observed linked with unauthorized and unaccredited bank accounts of top lawyers and other political and corporate personalities. The amount of money deposited in these bank accounts was close to USD 1 billion, making the investigators suspicious. It was also observed that majority of the cash transactions were highly active during illegal and corrupt practices such as fraudulent Presidential Elections and Nigerian Deal of Rupiah Banda. For instance, the investigators observed large cash transactions associated with established and big businesses and companies. More than 8000 such transactions were observed. More than 17,000 transactions were noticed and the cash deposits in these cases did not add up as per the available entries or ledger records. These activities increased the level of investigation which ultimately revealed the involvement of some of the top lawyers across Zambia. The investigators are suspecting that the amount of USD 1 billion is just the tip of the iceberg and the total amount of illegally laundered money might be significantly higher than this amount.

These activities have again created a negative image for Zambian government and its ability to run a country without getting into such big fiascos. This time, the government has also started investigation post the news and it is hoped that the accusers will be nabbed and punished.