A couple originally from Congo have been jailed for up to 30 months for benefits fraud totalling £188k, amassed after being granted asylum into the UK. The couple used the money in order to build a property empire, and have been jailed for 14 months and 30 months. The pair were charged with a series of fraud charges and were convicted on 17 charges, including benefit fraud. It is also believed that the woman is wanted in France for a similar offence.
Nicole Mwamba was granted asylum in the UK in 1998. She claimed that her husband had been persecuted while in Congo but had died so his assets should have passed on to her because she was the mother of his two children. Following her arrival, Mwamba instigated a number of bogus claims that enabled her to buy and rent several properties in the country.
Following her arrival, Mwamba managed to secure mortgages on two properties in London by paying a total of £45,000 in deposits and claiming that she had a job as a well-paid professional. Upon securing the properties, she then started to claim housing and other benefits. Despite telling mortgage companies that she was a well-paid professional, she used false names to apply for the benefits and received housing benefits. She also let one of the properties out.
Prosecutor, Francesca Levett, said of Mwamba that she was keen to keep the two identities separate. She was poor and needy when it came to benefits claims, but was a successful professional for mortgage claims. It also transpired that she had been receiving £736 a month in benefits in France using a friend’s identity. She received a 30 month sentence for bogus claims totalling £142,000.
Her husband, William Kapuya, claimed housing benefits at two addresses while keeping his marriage a secret in order to claim more. He also kept his real address secret, and attempted to claim a disability benefit that was only available to single people. For his part, and for claims totalling £46,000, Mr Kapuya received a sentence of 14 months.