The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) has successfully prosecuted Lewis Chisenga, the Director of People\u2019s Harvest Limited, for theft, money laundering, and possession of suspected proceeds of crime. The conviction marks a significant step in Zambia\u2019s ongoing efforts to combat financial crime and strengthen accountability within the country\u2019s business and financial sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 23, 2022, Chisenga was arrested and charged with three offences following allegations of stealing K4,775,000 from Petricore Partners Limited, a UK-based company. The stolen funds were entrusted to him for the purchase of United States dollars amidst a currency shortage in Zambia. Additionally, he faced charges for money laundering and for possessing assets believed to be proceeds of crime, including luxury vehicles and real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case unfolded after a complaint was filed by Ysakar Legal Practitioners on behalf of Petricore Partners Limited. The company had transferred K4,775,000 into Chisenga\u2019s account with the understanding that the money would be used to purchase US dollars. However, upon receiving the funds, Chisenga withdrew the entire amount and falsely informed the company that the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) had seized the money, claiming it was part of a suspicious transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trial, held in the Economic and Financial Crimes Court, saw the state present 13 witnesses. Despite Chisenga\u2019s denial of all charges, the court found him guilty of two counts – theft by agent and money laundering and acquitted him on the third count. On October 28, 2024, Principal Resident Magistrate Sylvia Munyinya Okoh sentenced Chisenga to five years of imprisonment with hard labour for theft, and three years for money laundering, with both sentences to run concurrently. Chisenga is currently serving his sentence at Lusaka Central Correctional Facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This conviction serves as a evidence of the NPA\u2019s ongoing commitment to tackling financial crimes that undermine Zambia\u2019s economic integrity. It also highlights the continued importance of strong legal frameworks in holding individuals accountable for actions that exploit the nation\u2019s financial systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) has successfully prosecuted Lewis Chisenga, the Director of People\u2019s Harvest Limited, for theft, money laundering, and possession of suspected proceeds of crime. The conviction marks a significant step in Zambia\u2019s ongoing efforts to combat financial crime and strengthen accountability within the country\u2019s business and financial sectors. On May 23, 2022, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-4239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conviction"],"yoast_head":"\n