SAMPA USED HICHILEMA’S NAME TO DUPE ME, JAPANESE BUSINESSMAN TELLS COURT
A JAPANESE businessman has narrated how Kelvin Sampa projected himself as a highly politically connected person before duping him off his $80,000.
Satoshi Sakamoto aged 62 told the Lusaka Magistrates Court that the former Kasama Central lawmaker told him that he was President Hakainde Hichilema’s right hand man.
To demonstrate his political connections, Sampa even invited the unsuspecting businessman for dinner with high ranking government officials in the likes of Health minister, Elijah Muchima.
Convinced that he was dealing with a genuine and highly connected figure, the Tokyo-based businessman entrusted Sampa with a whooping $80,000 to purchase gold on his behalf.
Sakamoto told senior Resident Magistrate Irene Wishimanga sitting under the Economic and Financial Crimes court that Sampa further took him to a piece of land in Lusaka, where he saw a truck branded with images of President Hichilema and Vice-President Mutale Nalumango.
Sakamoto said Sampa told him he was the one who donated the truck to the party.
“On hearing this, my trust on him even grew stronger.”
The businessman said he only realised he had been deceived when dozens of his calls to Sampa went unanswered
“Mr Sampa never picked up my phone. He said he would come with the seller. To my astonishment, this occurred more than 20 times. When he said he would come, no show. I felt I had been mistreated and came to the believe that I had been deceived and I started requesting that he returns my US$80,000 because my first phase of visa was due to expire in December.”
“I asked him to return the money because I needed to return to Japan. I asked him where the money was and he said he deposited it in his FNB bank, I asked that the money is withdrawn so that he gives it back to me,” he said.
Sakamoto said Sampa decided to give him back the money, but unfortunately it was counterfeit, fake dollars.
“I was advised by my Lawyer, Mr. Dickson Jere to go to the police to report and I did so on October 3,2024,” he said.
Sakamoto said until date, the US$80,000 has not been returned to him.
“I want Sampa to be punished for what he did to me, I was ready as an investor to make investments like generate electricity in Zambia but my dream was shuttered,” Sakamoto said.
In this matter, Sampa is facing charges of illegal possession of forged banknotes, theft by agent, and possession of paper or implements for forgery.
Kalemba
SAMPA USED HICHILEMA’S NAME TO DUPE ME, JAPANESE BUSINESSMAN TELLS COURT
