A local court in Zambia on Friday sentenced 21 Chinese and a Cameroonian to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for internet fraud.
The magistrate court in the capital, Lusaka, also sentenced the group's ringleader, Li Xianlin, to 11 years in prison, according to a statement by Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).
It added that all of those convicted are between the ages of 25 and 51.
“These individuals, all residents of Kasangula Road in Roma Township (Lusaka), were arrested on April 9,2024 by DEC on charges related to sophisticated internet fraud schemes,” it said.
Operating without license
The agency's spokesperson said Li Xianlin and the others were convicted of computer-related misrepresentation, identity-related crimes and operating a network without a license.
“In addition to their prison sentences, the convicts are required to pay fines, with Li Xianlin facing a fine of 120, 000 Zambian Kwachas (about $4,500), while his accomplices have been fined 70,000 Kwachas each (about $2,700,” Allan Tamba added.
Tamba said items seized and due for forfeiture to the state include 135 desktop computers, one laptop, 11 sim boxes, a Toyota Alphard Registration Number BAT8373 and 13, 143, Kwachas.
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