LIUTEBM K1.5m theft case unfolds

A PROSECUTION witness has told the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court how he retrieved personal details belonging to four Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business Management (LIUTEBM) employees accused of stealing K1.5 million belonging to the institution.

In this case, Kondwani Kanweka, 49, an accountant of Libala South, Lavender Mwenya, 29, an accounts assistant of Kabwata, Muhammad Dambele, 33, a lecturer of Silverest residential area, and Seith Muleya, 62, a registrar of Chilanga, have been jointly charged with alleged theft of the money between January 2015 and July 2020.

Testifying as a second prosecution witness yesterday, Mwiilu Sianagwa, a regulatory specialist at Airtel Zambia, said he retrieved the accused persons’ details from the company’s ‘know your customer’ (KYC) system after receiving a search warrant from Woodlands police station.

Mr. Sianagwa said the warrant, which was signed by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court, had phone mobile phone numbers whose owners the police requested to have personal details.

He said Airtel’s KYC information system included features like identity and residential addresses for owners of the phone numbers.

He told Lusaka Magistrate Felix Kaoma that he then made printouts showing KYC details for Kanweka, Mwenya (a female), Dambele, and Muleya.

In cross examination by defence lawyers, Mr. Sianagwa, 45, who has worked in his position in the company’s legal department for three years, said the Airtel system does not show the date he printed the KYC details and that it does not indicate that he is the one who made the printouts.

He said the search warrant on which he acted did not have Airtel’s receipt stamp to confirm that the company received it from the police on April 29, 2020. Trial continues on May 18 and 21, 2021 and the accused persons’ police bond has been extended.