24/07/2025
COURT UPHOLDS SENTENCES OF 'IMPIYA SHABALANDA' SCAMMERS
THE Lusaka High Court has dismissed the appeal of the 21 Chinese Nationals and a Cameroonian and upheld their sentences handed to them by the Lusaka Magistrates Court in a case they were charged with computer related offences.
Judge Bonaventure Mbewe said the appeal had no merit hence upholding the sentence.
In this case, the accused persons were linked to the sophisticated internet fraud syndicate unearthed on April 9, 2024 in Lusaka's Roma.
And when the matter was taken to court, they were found guilty and given a seven year sentence each and a fine of K70,000 each, but the masterminder was fined K120,000.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the offence of computer related misrepresentation, identity related crimes, and prohibition of operating of network or provision of service license.
However, Acting Chief Resident Magistrate, Sylvia Munyinya found all the accused persons guilty and convicted them accordingly.
The 22 are aged between 25 and 51 with one female who is the third accused and are all of Kasangula Road, in Kalundu area.
"Tumeni number Impiya Shabalanda nashifuma, or Tumeni number Impiya ya CDF nashifuma" these are common phrases the Zambian Community has embraced all in the name of alleged scammers.
The now convicts hold different positions such as director, business executives, internet expert, IT Specialist, mechanic , computer programmer, contractor , hair dresser while others are unemployed.
The convicts are namely; Li Xian, enxin Bai, Gu Tianjiao, Iia Ye, Ding Wenyu,Shi Feng, Zhao Di, He Qiu, Yang Yingming, Zhou Lin, He Binhua, Yang Chuan, Sun Pan, Li Wenqiang, Tang Wei, Luo Zhiwen, Hi Dawei, Wang Jidong, Hou Jing, Said Bin, Deng Hu and Emmanuel Tangi Fogwe.
According to the facts that was before court on April 5, 2024 DEC officers received information that the Chinese were running a company called Golden Top Support Services Limited that was sending scam messages to members of public.
The officers proceeded to the said place in Kalundu were the accused person were found operating multiple computers in different cubicles.
Which culminated into a seizure of 135 personal computers, one laptop 11 sim boxes, Black Toyota Alphard, Money in the sum of K13, 143, $20, 17,000 Dinars found in a Safe, 37, 000 Simcard both Local and International, one IPad, two Pistols with 73 rounds of Ammunition and 23 cellphones.
Magistrate Munyinya sentenced all the accused persons in count one to four years imprisonment with hard labor except for a woman with simple imprisonment and fined K30,000 each to be paid forthwith in default to 9 months simple imprisonment.
The Magistrate also sentenced all the accused persons in count two to three years imprisonment with hard labor to a fine of K40,000 each in default 9 months imprisonment.
She also sentenced the executive director who was charged alone in count three to four years imprisonment with hard labor and a fine of K50,000 in default to 9 months imprisonment.
Magistrate Munyinya ordered that the sentences shall run consecutively and the fines are cumulative.
But the the accused were dissatisfied with the sentences and decided to appeal on July 21, 2024.
In the appeal, they argued that the trial court misdirected herself when she imposed both a fine and sentences.
And in rendering judgement, Judge Mbewe maintained the sentences and ordered that the items seized from the convicts be returned back to them.
