Man impersonating late President Sata jailed

THE Solwezi Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 31-year-old stores officer of First Quantum Minerals Limited (FQM) to 30 months imprisonment with hard labour for swindling Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) out of K200,000 by pretending to be late President Sata.
This is in a case in which Sunday Mukananyi of house number 157, Kazomba township in Solwezi, pleaded not guilty to two counts of impersonating a public officer and obtaining money by false pretences.
Magistrate Morgan Muyambango last Thursday convicted Mukananyi after finding him guilty of the two offences.
“I have gone through the evidence of the prosecution and I am satisfied that they have proven their case against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt. I therefore find the accused guilty as charged and I hereby convict him accordingly.
“I sentence you to 30 months imprisonment with hard labour in the first count and 20 months imprisonment with hard labour in the second count. The sentences will run concurrently,” Mr Muyambango said.
He granted Mukananyi leave to appeal to the High Court within 14 days.
Mukananyi, on dates unknown but between September 1, 2013 and September 6, 2013 in Solwezi, pretended to be President Sata.
In the second count , Mukananyi obtained K200,000 cash from KCM in the name of President Sata on a pretext that he wanted the money for Patriotic Front (PF) operations in Solwezi when in fact not.
In mitigation, Mukananyi asked the court to exercise leniency on him because he is remorseful for his actions and that he is the breadwinner of his family.
Evidence before the court is that Mukananyi on two occasions called KCM and pretended to be President Sata and asked to speak to then chief executive officer Kishore Kumar.
The court heard that when Mukananyi spoke to Mr Kumar, he asked for K200,000 to help fund PF operations.
But President Sata’s principal private secretary Mutale Chalabesa told the court that he was in charge of the President’s programmes and making appointments both internationally and locally.
Mr Chalabesa told the court that at no time did PF lobby for money from KCM.
And Mukananyi’s pastor, Ephraim Kayombo, testified that he was conducting prayers when Mukananyi’s wife called and told him that she wanted to take a car and some money to his house for safe keeping.
Pastor Kayombo told the court that he was alarmed by the huge amounts of money which Mukananyi’s wife gave him for safe keeping.
He testified that he later received a phone call that Mukananyi had been arrested.
When questioned to account for the money, Mukananyi said he bought a plot at Mushitala in Solwezi, two vehicles and some household goods.
He also told the court that he gave K80,000 to his friend so that they could start a business together.
Mukananyi, however, said his friend disappeared with the money.
Public prosecutor Nobel Mulenga applied that the recovered items be forfeited to the state. The court granted the application.-Zambia Daily Mail