One of the men accused of stealing Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margret Mwanakatwe’s hand bag containing two diplomatic passports, a purse, an I-phone, a national registration card and close to K10,000 cash has been acquitted.
Mabvuto Banda was acquitted after the state failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt he was an accomplice in the stealing of Mrs Mwanakatwe’s hand bag.
This is in a case in which Banda and Solomon Mwanza are alleged to have stolen a red bag belonging to Mrs Mwanakatwe in Bauleni Township in Lusaka from her vehicle registration number ABR 926 after a night out.
Mwanza was however put on defence by Lusaka Magistrate Irene Wishimanga.
The duo was charged with theft from motor vehicle contrary to section 276 (c) 272 of the penal code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
“My honour I left home with Sydney Chongo and Lazarous Banda, went to Kalahari, then to Mayela night club in Bauleni after which we went to another place where I packed my car outside and chatted with the people. Upon returning I discovered that my red handbag had gone missing. I then reported the matter to woodlands police station, ” Mrs Mwanakatwe had testified.
And a witness, a police officer Jimmy Musowe told the court how he found one of the accused persons with foreign currencies which included, 30 Rubies and 10 by 60 Saudi Arabian currency.
He said the said after searching, the accused person took him to Libala Township where he found the bag dumped in a pit latrine.
And another witness inspector victor Mainza told the court how the other accused person dilly-dallied to show him where he taken the red bag.
“Your honour, it took us over five hours to be taken to the place where the accused persons had hide the bag”, he said.
Particulars are that on 26th November 2016, the accused persons jointly and whilst acting together did steal a bag, one purse, one I phone, 2 diplomatic passports, one national registration card, K9, 700-kwacha cash, 6×10 Saudi Arabian cash and 3 by 10 Indian currency from her motor vehicle.
Magistrate Wishimanga set 14th February for continued defence and has since extended the bail for Mwanza.
For peanuts Maggie Dudu has put her reputation in the mud. Sometimes it is safer to stay quiet when your knickers are exposed instead of going public.
Stealing from a PF thug minister is an act of charity. It’s one way of recovering money stolen from Zambians.
@Wantanshi Good one! Our money ka!
She has stole from citizenship empowerment fund and has failed to pay not even a dime. Look at her, a purse with peanuts in it and she wants too send that poor guy to jail? Are these the leaders that this country is being subjected to . Her and the the husband have plundered millions of tax payers money and are walking freely. Instead of just sympathizing with him after all she used these guys to win that seat which has since been nullified. Madam lead by example by laying low, mwalasebana.
ZP can not even catch a handbag thief…anyway this is not stealing as he was taking from a corrupt thug!!
This woman loves nthwenu from young men. My young good friend fredo nthwenud her and I have photographic evidence
This woman has stolen a lot of government money. She was in the NEWS being sued for kaloba she didn’t pay back. And she can’t forgive people who stole 970 kwacha? Hypocrites!
And we call them Zambia Police. Yet you can all see they are PF Police. If any citizen had lost such a bag they wouldn’t have time (and petrol) to investigate.
The person keeping her in her job needs to be fired. Employers are responsible for their employees. Her conduct especially with the two passports is a liability to national security. Why is the person who hired her keeping quiet and not firing her? The problem stems from the very top and we need to chop the cancer before it spreads to the head by cutting it at the knees!