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Zamtel Employee Sentenced to 15 Months for Stealing Over K123,000 from Customers

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A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing K123,148.33 from Zamtel customers.

Kabwe Mulenga, an employee of Zamtel and a student of tourism and hospitality was yesterday found guilty of theft by a public servant, a crime contrary to Sections 272 and 277 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia by Lusaka Magistrate Anna Holland.

Mulenga, who worked as a Know-Your-Customer (KYC) agent, exploited technical glitches in Zamtel’s mobile money system between April and June 2022 to divert funds into her personal account.

The court established that during the period of the crime, Zamtel’s mobile money platform faced operational challenges, as testified by prosecution witnesses.

These glitches allowed Mulenga to receive small, unauthorized deposit amounts as low as K200, which accumulated to the staggering sum of K123,148.33.

Magistrate Holland stated that Mulenga’s role required her to understand and adhere to operational procedures, making her actions a deliberate breach of trust.

Chomba Chibwe, a digital customer experience manager at Zanaco, revealed that Mulenga’s bank accounts received deposits totaling K156,260 during the three-month period. The funds were systematically withdrawn, raising suspicions.

Tom Phiri, Zamtel’s Mobile Money Operations Manager, explained that a technical fault in the system allowed money transfers to be processed without debiting customer accounts. Mulenga exploited this vulnerability multiple times, leading to substantial losses for the company and its customers.

In her ruling, Magistrate Holland stressed that the evidence presented by the prosecution painted a clear picture of calculated theft.

“The accused knowingly took advantage of her position and the technical issues within the system to enrich herself unlawfully,” she stated.

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