Court blocks ACB bid to stop Lin corruption case
- High Court rebukes ACB over bid to drop corruption case against wildlife trafficker Lin Yun Hua
High Court Judge Redson Kapindu has sharply criticised the Anti‑Corruption Bureau (ACB) for attempting to discontinue corruption proceedings against convicted wildlife trafficker Lin Yun Hua, dismissing the bureau’s application and warning that the move amounted to an abuse of court process.
Lin, who is serving time for wildlife trafficking offences, is accused of attempting to bribe prison authorities while on remand at Maula Prison in 2019.
According to the State, he allegedly offered K30 million and pledged to complete construction of a senior officer’s house in exchange for help influencing the outcome of his trial.
The ACB, however, applied on 9 June 2026 to withdraw the case, saying it was acting on explicit instructions from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Fostino Maele.
The bureau asked the court for leave to discontinue the matter and discharge Lin.
Kapindu rejected the request, saying the court was left with the impression that the State wanted it to exercise the DPP’s constitutional powers “through the back door”.
In a strongly worded ruling, he said the application was “a wastage of time and other resources by the State” and “a form of abuse of the process of the Court”.
Kapindu stressed that the State already has constitutional and statutory authority to terminate criminal proceedings without seeking judicial permission, provided it later explains its reasons to Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee.
Asking the court to approve a discharge that the State could execute on its own, he said, “strikes this Court as an abuse of the process”.
The ruling effectively keeps the corruption case against Lin alive, placing pressure on the ACB and DPP to clarify why they sought to halt proceedings involving a high‑profile offender previously convicted of serious wildlife crimes.