A former Catholic nun and a civil servant have been sentenced to six months in prison after being found guilty of obtaining over K200,000 through false pretenses.
Patricia Chanda, 45, and her sister Irene Chanda, 54, were convicted of obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretenses, in violation of Section 309A (a) of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
The two sisters initially denied the charges before Resident Magistrate Trevor Kasanda. However, the court later found them guilty, considering their remorse and willingness to reform but also emphasizing the need to deter similar offenses.
Magistrate Kasanda acknowledged that both women were first-time offenders, which could warrant leniency. However, given the prevalence of such crimes, he imposed a six-month simple imprisonment sentence for each of the three counts against them, to run concurrently.
According to court proceedings, the Chanda sisters misrepresented to multiple individuals that they had a contract with the Catholic Church for the supply of school materials and needed funds to clear goods at the border. Based on this claim, they obtained K120,000 from Mercy Makwirimba, K29,000 from Paul Chishiba, and K75,000 from an individual named Mitchy.
During cross-examination, it was revealed that there was no documentation to support the alleged transactions or the existence of a supply contract with the Catholic Church. A witness, Emma Banda, Superior General of the Handmaid Sisters of the Virgin Mary, testified that the church had no contract with Patricia for supplying school uniforms. She confirmed that Patricia had left the sisterhood in February 2022.
In her defense, Patricia claimed she only accompanied her sister when borrowing money and denied ever misrepresenting herself as a business partner. She also stated that she never wore her nun’s habit during these transactions. Meanwhile, Irene admitted to borrowing money but insisted she intended to repay it through her onion business, which later failed. She also alleged that the lenders exaggerated the amounts owed and forcibly evicted her from her home to recover their money.
However, the court found that both sisters knowingly deceived lenders by falsely claiming to have a contract with the Catholic Church. The court ruled that they acted dishonestly, obtained financial benefits through false pretenses, and failed to fulfill their obligations to repay.
