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Man Gets 2 Years For Bypassing Zesco Prepaid Metre
Kapiri Mposhi resident magistrate, Greenwell Malumani has sentenced a 35-year-old man to 24 months imprisonment with hard labour for fraudulent appropriation of Zesco power.
Before court was Alex Ngoma, 35 of plot 65 riverside in kapiri Mposhi District.
Particulars before court alleged that on February 26, 2013, Ngoma jointly and whilst acting together with others unknown, diverted electrical power to his own house by connecting cables which bypassed the prepaid meter, the property of Zesco.
Ngoma pleaded guilty to the charge of fraudulent appropriation of Zesco power.
However public prosecutors, Prudence Mupeta said that Ngoma had no lawful authority to divert Zesco power.
In mitigation Ngoma asked the court to exercise leniency on him saying he had a wife who was in college with whom he had two children.
He said his dependents would suffer if he was going to prison.
Passing judgment in the matter, Magistrate Malumani observed that Zesco was a corporate entity created to benefit Zambians.
He said that by fraudulent appropriation of electricity Ngoma was depriving Zambian citizens of their revenue. He then sentenced Ngoma to 24months imprisonment with Hard labour
Posted by
kakolwe
March 25, 2013 at 10:50 am
If such preventive measures are not taken, we shall easily degenarate into the Soweto RSA situation were anyone hungs cables to the main supply illigally. A danger to all. Esp. Kids. Mumangeni!
Barotse diaspora
March 25, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Think before you steal.who is gonna take care of the two children he left?i wonder how many illegal connections and zesco bypass are out there that are unnoticed
chanda
March 25, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Atleast a suspended sentence or fine was going to much better. Too hash ba magistrate.
james banda
March 25, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Is this the same electricity that is being loadshedded…….then the two year sentence shud oso have some load shedding; release the man for few hours everyday………
the good old days
March 25, 2013 at 5:29 pm
@ James Banda, very funny. The sentence shud b load-shedded. hahaha. Any too harsh a sentence, the man shud hav bn senteced to Sweeping and mopping the Local Zesco outlet for a month.
Robot Judges & ecnomics
March 25, 2013 at 7:40 pm
TUMFWEKO… WHERE IS MY COMMENT?
All I was saying was, judges could earn something if some judgement were more economic rather than punitive. If I were a judge I could decided to sell his house in order to recover Zesco units. A man in prison can not earn the country any economic benefit.
..and I was saying that the government as soon as they came into power quickly and technically had so many prisoners removed from jail; do you not think that this was a deliberate move, somehow?
Let us have recovery processes in our justice system after all our country is poor and we need more money in our pockets. Look at how much some traffic offences could earn the country!
Gershom Jere
March 25, 2013 at 9:38 pm
I sympathize with the whole situation, particulary with his innocent college going wife and his two kids.
ray-ray
March 26, 2013 at 8:34 am
but james banda wanisekeka! and i agree, he should be released few hours a day(load shedding) hahahhahahah
mik
March 27, 2013 at 7:39 pm
if zesco can be doing this every month, people will stop by_passing prepaid meter. remember you r what ever u ..
Chalice
July 13, 2013 at 9:05 am
Too bad but imprisoning is not a solution