Former Justice Minister Sacky Shanghala was dealt a blow today after the Supreme Court upheld a High Court order confirming the restraint of assets linked to the Fishrot corruption case.

The ruling means assets belonging to Shanghala and his co-accused remain frozen under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), pending the outcome of their criminal trial.

The assets were initially placed under restraint in 2020 following an application by Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa, who argued there were reasonable grounds to believe the properties constituted proceeds of unlawful activities.

Shanghala and several co-accused had challenged the validity of the restraint order, arguing that the investigation was flawed because it was conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission rather than the police. 

Shanghala argued that this rendered the entire process unlawful and sought to have the order set aside.