By CHATULA KAMPO –

A SEVENTH Day Adventist (SDA) Church deacon has denied stealing more than K43,000 church money claiming that he gave it to a ‘herbalist’ so that it could multiply.

Rodgers Nshindo, 43, of 908 Buteko Avenue, who is also an office orderly at the SDA Copperbelt Conference office, told Ndola Magistrate Moffat Phiri in his defence that he lost the money he was sent to deposit at the bank, after he took it to an herbalist called Daudi, who was allegedly renowned for ‘multiplying’ money.

Nshindo was found with a case to answer on one count of theft by public servant.

It was alleged that on March 7 this year, Nshindo stole K43,200.

The accused during his defence told the court he was sent by the church secretary Jane Kabinga to deposit the money at the bank.

“On my way to the bank, I called Daudi, a mysterious herbalist who multiplies money, in order to have him multiply the church money before depositing it. I later went to his house in Kansenshi with the money,” he said.

He said Daudi asked him to accompany him into town, leaving the money behind.

The accused testified that he got worried when he noticed the ‘herbalist’ making several phone calls.

He told the court that the ‘herbalist’ later asked him to go to his house to collect the money which had multiplied.

“I went to his house in Kansenshi around 18:00 hours but found the door locked,” he testified.

He told the court that the landlady told him that Daudi did not live at the house and only regularly went there to check on the property.

The accused testified that he reported the case to the police who arrested him instead.

Mr Phiri adjourned the case to May 31, this year, for judgment.