Edias Mazambani, 42, of unknown address, was sentenced to three years and eight months’ imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court on Friday 30 January 2026. He had previously pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position on 3 September 2025, during a trial at Southwark Crown Court.
His four co-defendants also received their sentence at Southwark Crown Court on Friday 30 January 2026.
George Magaya, 49, of unknown address, was sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment. He had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering, during the trial, on 3 September 2025.
Michelle Tengende, 40, of Briar Road, Watford, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs by 31 December 2026. She had previously been found guilty of money laundering on 14 October 2025 and was employed by the NHS at the time of the offences.
Sinqobile Pasipanodya, 43, of Dane Meadows Place, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs by 31 December 2026. She has previously been found guilty of money laundering.
Rosemary Magaya, 37, of Cromwell Road, Eccles, Manchester, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. She had previously been found guilty of money laundering on 14 October 2025.
The fraud was uncovered by staff within the finance department at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust after they identified suspicious refund requests relating to monies held on behalf of patients and clients.
Internal investigations revealed the involvement of a trust employee, Mazambani, who had access to secure financial databases. Further checks confirmed links between him and the bank accounts receiving fraudulent payments.
NHSCFA financial investigators used their powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) to trace the stolen funds. The investigation revealed that Mazambani had facilitated fraudulent refund claims and that money had been transferred to accounts linked to the other defendants.
Following his arrest, Mazambani provided a "no comment" interview. Documents relating to trust refunds were recovered from his home address.
The investigation identified over £218,000 in fraudulent refunds paid out, with an additional £84,000 in fraudulent claims prevented, bringing the total fraud value to more than £302,000.
Financial analysis revealed the four co-defendants received substantial funds through the fraudulent scheme, which were subsequently transferred back to Mazambani, George Magaya and Rosemary Magaya in most cases.
Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said:
“This sentencing reflects the seriousness of abusing a trusted position within the NHS for personal gain.
“Mazambani exploited his access to sensitive financial systems to orchestrate a fraud that targeted funds held on behalf of patients, with others knowingly involved in laundering the proceeds.
“Thanks to the vigilance of the trust’s finance team and our investigators’ use of Proceeds of Crime Act powers, significant losses were identified and further fraud was prevented. We will continue to work closely with NHS organisations to protect public money and hold those responsible to account.”
You can report NHS fraud anonymously on 0800 028 40 60, our 24-hour reporting line powered by Crimestoppers. You can also report it confidentially on our website at www.cfa.nhs.uk/reportfraud.