By SYLVIA MWEETWA –
A MORTUARY attendant and  a nurse at  Liteta District Hospital who were  appearing  in court  for  stealing from the Zampost bus Chibombo accident  victims last year have been sentenced to nine months each with hard labour.
This is in a case where Molosson Telebe aged 42 and Derrick Siwakwi aged 38 were facing two counts of theft in the Kabwe Magistrate’s court.
In the first count, the two were jointly charged with theft and that on February 7, 2013, while acting together stole K1200 property of the Zambia Police.
In the second count, on February 12, 2013, Telebe was alleged to have had in his possession a 1 × 2 plate cooker, one Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) decoder, one satellite dish, a DVD player, electric fan, deep freezer, one mountain bike, among others suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Liteta Hospital administrator Wantula Siame testified how officers demolished the pit latrine and recovered items among them a national registration card, National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA)  card and a sum of K1,200 belonging to a George Kawanga who according to the mortuary book died in the accident.
Another witness John Moba aged 40 a security guard at the hospital also narrated how on February 7, 2013 he was among the people helping move the victims to the hospital beds, the theatre and the mortuary.
Mr Moba said while taking the bodies to the mortuary, some money was discovered on the floor and that the doctor suggested that the mortuary attendant and the cleaners share.
And Victor Chalwe aged 20 a salesman at a hardware store narrated how Mr Siwakwi on the same night around 19:00 hrs as he was closing up his shop went there and bought a DVD player worth K220 from him.
Chalwe said Mr Siwakwi also gave him a K300 to give his uncle which he said he owed him.
He explained that after two days, police officers went to his shop and asked if he had sold a DVD player to Siwakwi and whether he had received a K300 from him.
Chalwe said the police officers confiscated the DVD player from Siwakwi and asked Chalwe to return the K300.
Sentencing the two, the court also ordered that goods recovered suspected to have been purchased using stolen money be auctioned to recover the money.
In  mitigation, the  two  pleaded  for  forgiveness from the  court  saying  they were  both  on  ARV’s  drugs.
Passing judgment Magistrate John Mbuzi found the two guilty and sentenced them to nine months imprisonment with hard labour.