Former Zambia Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Andrew Sakala has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment with hard labour by a Lusaka Magistrate Court for theft by public servant involving K1.5 million.
Deputy Director of Local Courts sitting as Magistrate Wilfred Muma on Monday, October 6 found General Sakala guilty of theft by public servant involving funds meant for operations prior to and after the 2011 general elections. Magistrate Muma however acquitted General Tembo’s co-accused for Army Commander Lieutenant General Wisdom Lopa and former Zambia National Service Commandant Lieutenant General Anthony Yeta.
In sentencing General Sakala this morning, Magistrate Muma hoped the sentence will serve as a deterrent to would be perpetrators of a similar crime.
He noted that while General Sakala deserved leniency from the court, the crime he committed required a maximum custodial sentence.
In his mitigation General Sakala asked the court for leniency considering his rendered service to the country and the role he played in ensuring the smooth transfer of power following the 2011 tripartite election.
Particulars of the Offence were that between 16th and 21st September,2011, General Sakala received K1,500,000 through the ZAF Aircraft Hire Account , money meant for operations during the September 2011 General Elections which he is alleged to have distributed to his colleagues.
And Magistrate Muma dismissed a bail application by defence counsel pending appeal to the High court saying it was lodged prematurely.
He explained that a bail application can only be made after sentencing of the convict.
General Sakala who looked sad but composed was later taken to prison by security officers.
The wife Naomi is to blame she betaryed you bwana sorry
That wife of yours is the reason you are now in jail. Simple advice my General. Abandon her now lest in your old age she further ruins your life. I don’t condone theft but I completely abhor betrayal of sacrosanct trust that is supposed to exist in marriage. Gents be warned: a wife is NOT your mother or sibling. When it suits her, she will throw you to the crocodile and start massaging other ***! Sad but true.
Ba Sakala now you know what having a side plate (girlfriend) can do while you are married. If only you never had that girl from Misisi compound this couldn’t have had happened.
Bwana the wife is not to blame.The wages of sin is death.The general was busy wominising which is sin.Remember any one who moves out of matrinual home and starts having affairs is expected to pay a huge price like the general.That is his down fall
@saulosi
have a human heart,,ubuchende among men is common, dont be holier than thou,, on a positive note, my presdent, ba mpombo has opened a bursary free university ku chimbwakaila,, to help PF and kambwili,,,so ba sakala has a 5years contract as a lecturer already,.,,,professional going ku jail are not a waste,,, my bro @ Nostradamus is already on board, he will be supplying choko for lecturers and excise books for students,,, am also helping with ama dekisi,,, so we need your virology HIV lectures to students like masumba, General kanene,,,etc
Accomplice to crime and receiving proceeds of crime is crime – right? Let the rotten lot in.! Or pay back with interest. In short pay through their noses and bankrupt them rag rats.
One drink and four chicken pieces got someone 3 years. Sakala steals K1.5 million and he gets 5 years.
It should be in rebased currency.
Lol…kusiyana siyana kwa ma office! I hope I got that one right. Imagine typing it with predictve settings on. I got all kinds of unpleasant superlatives not to be repeated on this channel.
Great but don’t give him bail. These guys in RB where stealing left, right and center. They had no sense of shame…good riddance to thieves. I just pray that while in jail he will repent of his thieving.
Peace and Prosperity to mother Zambia.
Never share your secret with your wife/husband coz 1de things will go soar.
I couldn’t agree with you more. a lot of examples. When vera said I want 1.5 trillion from chiluba after marriage..pipo thot she was jst making noise. , kapoko was reported by some girlfriend, now sakala na ka gelo ka mu compound is it ngombe ..madam baulula
5 yrs only???…………….. shame! should have been much longer to deter other criminals holding public office.
Typical of African wives generally, but, also for Sakaka, appetite for high life, ilaletelela!
Zambian judiciary honestly why? 5 years not 15 years so its better to steal Govt money and stand to save only 5 years then you come back and enjoy the cash after a short period of 5 years.
Better than working in some companies on a contract of five years, and earn less than K1.5m – what more, in this case, the money will not be spent (if it is still there), as he has free accommodation, etc!
Gen Sakala ought to plead for leniency after appeal fails! This is an embarrassment to Generals in Zambia. Where is the war strategy in all this?????
It appears as though the Generals in ZAF will never learn. First it was General Sande Kayumba, then came Gen Singongo and now General Sakala. All former Commanders with the dubious distinction of being convicts. One hopes that the current Generals will make a difference.
No matter how rotten any justice system is, there is evidence that it serves a purpose. This is proof!
Girlfriend ate the money.
Ilyo baleiba balemona kwati nabacenjela.
Iwe ‘WARRIOR’, what war strategy are you talking about. The General has simply embarrassed himself. Do you want these generals to be stealing with impunity whilst we close our eyes ati ba General ndiye babba ndalama, you fool.
DO NEED TO WORRY GEN.SAKALA MY FATHER WILL BOUNCE BACK TO POWER COME 2016. I AM SURE MICHEAL WON’T STAND AND HH AND NEVERS NI PORRIDGE. MYFATHER WILL COME AND RELEASE YOU FROM PRISON. AND PRAY THATTHERE WILL BE A BY-ELECTIONS SO THAT YOUR DAYS IN PRISONS ARE SHORTENED. THAT IS WHEN I SHALL AROSO COME BACK.
Lusaka Times, please don’t confuse Sakala for Tembo. This is stereotyping. You mean if one Sakala has stolen, even a Tembo, Banda, Phiri, Jere, Mwale, Ngulube, Mbewe, Zulu and all other such names from the east has stolen? In this connection, I ‘m warning those who are in the habit of stereotyping Bembas as thieves to stop it hence forth, or else… OK, Sakala has gone in for five years. So there is a big deal with Mihoba and Yeta for him to serve their sentences. Sakala is the one who testified in court that the K1.5 million loot was shared equally among the three. If indeed Sakala did not lie against them, let Mihova and Yeta surrender K1 million to Sakala’s family as icifunka mukofu. If indeed they profess Christianity, let them do this.
It is was Always the thieves from the East who get caught………..Banda and Sons. Mwale for the bicycles. There was a Sakala who was convicted from state house. One Ngulube from Chiluba, s time was also embarassed by thieving. Now this Sakala again. Awe chacine aba bantu ni ba Sakalanyongo.
Could General Sakala simply implicate the other commanders or the other commanders simply saved their skins by not acknowledging hey got part of the cash? If generals cannot trust each other (even in stealing) we have a big problem!
Ba sakala sure,u cn cheat on ur wife bt jus make sure u dont get caught in msisi compound,or jus make sure u provide evrythin for her,she’ll hav no reasons to even suspect u
How can you eat money? How does it taste?