22 September 2010

http://allafrica.com/stories/201009220586.html

TWO Kitwe business executives have been jailed together with a Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) employee for money laundering activities involving more than K500 million.

Justine Lombe and Nathan Mumba, both directors of finance and administration at the privately-owned LONSA Enterprises, respectively, were convicted by the Kitwe Magistrates Court together with Justine Kalonde, a computer clerk at KCM.

Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations manager, John Nyawali said in a statement yesterday that the trio were convicted after being found guilty of defrauding KCM of K522 million.

Lombe and Mumba were sentenced to one-and-a-half years imprisonment with hard labour while Kalonde was sentenced to three years with hard labour.

DEC arrested the three men for defrauding KCM by purporting to have supplied some mining equipment to the mine when in fact not.

Mr Nyawali said the three, using LONSA Enterprises, faked the supply of spares of mining equipment to KCM by filling an invoice and delivery note to procurement system of the company, monies which were paid and later shared among the three through various cheque withdrawals in their names.

Meanwhile, a 34-year-old travel consultant of Lusaka has been arrested for money laundering activities involving more than K30 million.

Mr Nyawali said Clifford Zulu, a resident of Libala Stage 3, laundered the money sent to him by foreign tourists to help them secure hotel accommodation in Zambia.

"Mr Zulu who was running a travel consultancy firm duped a number of tourists who got stranded when they came to Zambia.

"He was reported to the DEC by the Zambia Tourism Board who received a lot of complaints about his conduct," Mr Nyawali said.

He said Mr Zulu was on the run for a long time but that he was finally arrested at the Lusaka International Airport where he was trying to dupe other tourists.

He is currently detained in police custody.