By 
A 55-year-old farmer, Joyce Zulu, has been sentenced to prison for fraudulently posing as the widow of a deceased man and illegally taking possession of his estate.
Lusaka Magistrate Chrispin Hampungani convicted Zulu on three counts of giving false information to public officers and depriving rightful beneficiaries of their inheritance.
Court evidence showed that Zulu falsely presented herself as the wife of the late Ian Garth Finaughty before the Boma Local Court and the Ministry of Lands to secure letters of administration and obtain title deeds to Farm No. 10833.
“The accused had no evidence to show that she was a wife, whether customary or civil. The purpose of doing so was to get the assets of the deceased and use them as she pleased. This offence is therefore proven beyond reasonable doubt,” Magistrate Hampungani ruled.
Zulu was found to have subdivided and sold portions of the farm, disposed of a boat, and mismanaged a company linked to the estate without providing any benefits to the legal beneficiaries, identified as Tasha Sandra Hammond and Darryl Finaughty.
Her lawyer pleaded for leniency, citing her status as a first offender, her age, and her diabetic condition. But Magistrate Hampungani stressed that her actions had deprived rightful heirs and could not go unpunished.
Zulu was sentenced to three months’ simple imprisonment on each of the first two counts and eight months on the third count, all to run concurrently from the date of her arrest.
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.
Comments