The Ndola Magistrates Court yesterday convicted five former Cabinet Office accountants and slapped them a combined sentence of 31 years imprisonment for money laundering and misappropriating public funds amounting to over K2 billion.

The case has been pending for the past three years.

Among the jailed are former Chief accountant Innocent Hatombwe, 40, of house number 6 Mbala road in Kansenshi, former Principal accountant John Chitalu Musonda, 50, of house number 4745 G Tanzania road in Northrise and former local government officer Peter Mwape Kapesebele, 31, of house number 121 Petauke road in Kansenshi.

Others are former accounts assistants Susan N’cube Mpongosa, 34, of house number 5790, Victor Mulenga road and Clement Liwena, 35, of house number 30 Feira road both of whom stay in Kansenshi.

The five are alleged to have between May 2007 and October 2008, being employees in the public service at the Copperbelt provincial accounting unit, stolen money amounting to over K2 billion.

The five committed an offence of theft by public servant contrary to section 277 of the Penal Code Cap 87 of the laws of Zambia and laundered money contrary to section 7 of the Prohibition and Prevention of Money Laundering Act 14 of 2001.

Facts before the court were that Hatombwe did between January 2008 and January 2009 engage in illegal business transactions involving over K200 million and used some of the proceeds to buy a vehicle for himself.

Mpongosa is said to have, between January 2007 and January 2009, engaged in illegal transactions involving over K90 million and used part of the proceeds to buy a house in Kansenshi Extension.

High Court deputy registrar Kelvin Limbani sitting as chief resident magistrate, sentenced Hantobwe to eight years, Musonda to seven years, Kapesebele to six years, Mpongosa to five years and Liwena to five respectively.

In mitigation, defence lawyer Geshorm Mubanga of Mubanga and Associates asked the magistrate to be lenient on all the accused as they have families to look after and were not working from the time they were arrested.

But Magistrate Limbani said cases of theft in government have been on the increase and have affected the lives of many innocent citizens because of few selfish individuals.

“Therefore, measures and actions have to be taken so that public funds are safeguarded and all those who keep public funds must keep them for the intended purpose,” he said
[Zambia Daily Mail]

Britain’s royal family will tour the globe next year to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee marking 60 years on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced.

According to the Buckingham Palace Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son, will visit India while Princess Anne, her daughter, will visit Mozambique and Zambia.

In what is likely to be the most high-profile part of the itinerary, William – the queen’s grandson and second in line to the throne, will travel with his wife Catherine to Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Prince Edward,The Queen’s youngest son, and his wife Sophie will visit the Caribbean.

The queen’s first cousin Edward, the Duke of Kent, will visit the Falkland Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

The Queen and Philip will remain in the UK for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations but make an extensive tour of every region supported by the Royal Family.

The Queen will be 86 in April and the Duke, who turns 91 next year, has already publicly stated he is reducing his workload.

The Queen came to the throne on Febuary 6, 1952 and was crowned on June 2, 1953.She celebrated her Silver Jubilee 25 years in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee 50 years in 2002.

The only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897.Queen Victoria is the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II and she reigned for 63 years.

Zambia Congress of Trade Unions leadership has refused to step down despite repeated calls by their members to do so.

Addressing the media today, ZCTU Secretary General Roy Mwaba said there were no prospects for him or the Union president Leonard Hikaumba to step down adding that those calling for their resignations had no concrete grounds to do so.

“What is happening is political. They claim that we were campaigning for the MMD, I would like them to show evidence that we did that. Let them tell the nation the venues of the rallies we are said to have attended,” Mwaba said. “Besides, the MMD is still there, let them tell the nation when we joined the party. Mabenga is not dead, let him say so.”

Mwaba further claimed that the Union had at no time met with former President Rupiah Banda and that they had requested for an audience with the latter three times during his reign but the letters were not responded to.

“Our policy is to work with the government of the day in pushing the agenda of the working class and the voiceless. No union the world over, can succeed in its mandate without maintaining cordial working relations with the government of the day,” he said. “We could not deal with a party in opposition (during the MMD rule) because we needed to find answers to workers problems by discussing with the government being the custodian of labour laws and decision makers on the applicant of resources. The PF is now in government and the ZCTU cannot deal with the MMD.”

The Union has also demanded that the country should remain united and called upon the government to promote the ‘one Zambia one nation’ slogan to ensure that peace prevailed in the country.

“Peace is very expensive and we cannot afford to lose it,” Mwaba said. “We demand that ‘one Zambia, one nation’ be upheld at all times. We do not want to fragment the country because if that happened, we will regret! We demand tolerance, respect for all and the recognition that no one has the monopoly of knowledge. We should embrace different opinions to move the country in a positive direction.”

THE Kitwe High Court has sentenced to death a Kalulushi charcoal burner for murdering and raping a pregnant woman in August last year.

High Court Judge Isaac Kamwendo sentenced to death Innocent Kunda after he convicted him of murdering Anna Chimfwembe on August 10, last year.

Mr Justice Kamwendo directed that Kunda should be hanged by the neck until pronounced dead.

“I hereby sentence the accused to death in terms of section 303 of the penal code and direct that he shall be hanged by the neck till he is dead,” ordered the Judge.

In delivering Judgment, Mr Justice Kamwendo said the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed Kunda’s evidence that he did not murder Ms Chimfwembe.

Mr Justice Kamwendo noted that no one saw the deceased being attacked and that the only evidence was by a Mr Yorum Chola who testified in the matter.

He said as there was no eye witness to the attack, circumstantial evidence must be called and that Mr Chola was a credible and consistent witness whose testimony was not shaken in cross examination.

The Judge observed that Mr Chola had no reason to lie against the accused person.

Evidence in court was that on the fateful day, Mr Chola, a charcoal burner, heard a voice of a woman screaming in the bush and when he went to check, he noticed that a man had hidden behind a tree.

Mr Chola testified that as he was trying to peep, he saw the accused person who was popularly known as ‘sharpshooter’.

The court heard that ‘sharpshooter’ ran away and Mr Chola gave chase but slipped and fell down.

He later went to check on the woman whom he found lying down, injured on the face and head while blood was streaming from the head.

She was taken to Kitwe Central hospital where she died three days later.

And according to the evidence on record, Kunda unlawfully wounded the woman after raping her while the postmortem report indicated that the deceased had head wounds and was about five weeks pregnant.

In defence Kunda denied murdering the deceased and said that he went to sell charcoal and when he went to demand for his money from one of his clients, he was apprehended and taken to Kalulushi Police station.
[Times of Zambia]