Fake certificate lands civil servant 18-month jail term

A woman who fraudulently secured government employment and pocketed over half a million kwacha in salaries has been jailed for 18 months by the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court.

Chefu Beauty Musonda was sentenced by Senior Resident Magistrate Trevor Kasanda after being found guilty of uttering a false document and obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences.

The court heard that between 2011 and 2024, Musonda presented a forged certificate in Secretarial and Office Management, purportedly issued by Evelyn Hone College.

On the strength of the fake qualification, she was employed by the Ministry of Agriculture where she drew salaries and allowances amounting to K547,918.11.

In delivering judgment, Magistrate Kasanda said Musonda’s actions were grave, noting that her deceit not only defrauded the government but also deprived a deserving applicant of the job opportunity.

“This convict knowingly presented a certificate which she was fully aware was false. The Ministry relied on it to offer her employment and paid her salaries and allowances she was not entitled to.

“Such acts undermine the integrity of the public service and cannot be condoned,” he said.

Musonda was sentenced to 12 months simple imprisonment on one count and 18 months on the other, but the sentences will run concurrently, effectively jailing her for one year and six months.

In mitigation, her lawyer pleaded for leniency, arguing that she was a first offender, a single mother, and had admitted guilt at the earliest opportunity.

The defence added that imprisonment would cause undue hardship to her dependent child.

However, Magistrate Kasanda said a custodial sentence was necessary to deter similar offenders, though Musonda retains the right to appeal to the High Court within 14 days.

She was charged under Section 352 of the Penal Code for uttering a false document and under Section 309A for obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.