22 Chinese nationals sentenced to long prison terms in Zambia for multinational cybercrimes

BY NOEL SICHALWE
Associated Press

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — A Zambian court has sentenced 22 Chinese nationals to long prison terms for cybercrimes that included internet fraud and online scams targeting Zambians and people from Singapore, Peru and the United Arab Emirates. They were sentenced to terms of seven to 11 years Friday after pleading guilty earlier this week to charges of computer-related misrepresentation, identity fraud and illegally operating a network or service. They were part of a group of 77 people, the majority of them Zambians, arrested in April over what police described as a “sophisticated internet fraud syndicate.” Authorities recovered 13,000 local and foreign SIM cards, two firearms and 78 rounds of ammunition during a raid on a Chinese-run business.