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An assistant accountant at Livingstone City Council has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with hard labour for diverting K316,000 in Constituency Development Fund grants meant for 11 cooperatives into his personal accounts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Court sitting in Livingstone on Monday convicted 34-year-old Sydney Silwimba on 11 counts of Fraudulent False Accounting and 11 counts of Theft by Public Servant.
Silwimba pleaded guilty to all 22 charges before Honourable Andrew Mungala, according a statement issued in Lusaka by the National Prosecution Authority (NPA).
He was employed as an assistant accountant at Livingstone City Council at the time of the offences.
The court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment on each count of Fraudulent False Accounting, contrary to Section 326(b) of the Penal Code, and three years’ imprisonment with hard labour on each count of Theft by Public Servant, contrary to Section 277 of the Penal Code.
The sentences will run concurrently, effective from August 31, 2026, meaning the longer three-year sentence determines the effective period of imprisonment.
The court further ordered Silwimba to pay K316,000 in compensation, representing the public funds diverted from their intended beneficiaries.
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The case arose from a report made by Livingstone City Council management to police on July 15, 2025, following concerns over the disappearance of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) between April 23 and November 30, 2024.
Police investigations established that Silwimba had diverted payments intended for 11 cooperatives that had applied for CDF grants.
The funds were directed into personal accounts, depriving the intended beneficiaries of financial support under the CDF programme.
Silwimba was arrested and formally charged on September 26, 2025 and his guilty plea brought the matter to a conclusion before the Economic and Financial Crimes Court.
NPA Authorities said the conviction sends a clear message on accountability and reiterated its commitment to pursuing cases involving the misuse of public funds.
The matter was prosecuted by Lenox Kasungu, State Advocate, and Donald Kambia, Senior Public Prosecutor.
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