Alfred Kaunda v People (Appeal No. 58 of 1986) [1988] ZMSC 91 (24 February 1988)

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ZAMBIA · ; : HOLDEN ATi'LUSAKA :. · P .; ·, :: • ._. !· i ''-'.:,: :.:,;; i: ::, (CriminafrJ'urisdiction) -»•:;\i 1.1'!! :!r..1<:1t;; /\,'1;;;, :.,is,-;: kept ~'\11;,t tJrrtj otlw,t ¥:t~~, an · ! . . • • ' . . ·~·;;:.~- r: ." ,·:z: ·. i;.-;,,__.~ ,.,s-:;'! {1 d~t:/!J~~d stort~fjn t, - · " " · ALFRED•KAUNDA ,_ .; t,>:i,,:> ,,,,ec,tAppellant fig rnto . I t;th -f~rlY"1t !$$$- ih!ii ;tarb1't/ Mil:!. l-~r . , ,! , .. 1,.. ·' .,. " ,, ,-'.\ ~ ,1., 'I"' ' ' ,.,-.• _ ;1._"...~: ~ . ,,. . . . '• •• ' ·!! • ~ • • . ' ' ' ' :.,~•!' ·•.:.-1•-~--;_·;; CORAM: Gardner;, J. S~ ;- BwEiupe; "A.l:s,t:andGChaU'a,1£AJ;'s;f,<?. t~1,ul'i: ,:r1irt 11:ii ~ -: t-c, :'.i'. '·1'";; 24ttti:eii'r1i~~y,h,;,9~ir f~• t!~ :i;nt:e, ll11ill,tdnJnq '.-'-) ,:::'.:~::t: -c~:;;-';-~}1:·-:•J(,r: I.er..lr;~~r:t .tr;j }:~'tt}1.,,,cu,ih 1.>ti(ihti. t:Yt :t(1!0 r~-1~ . (:·::•nt;;,:;,,, Lt. cor. G. R~,. Kayuk"ia,, L~g~l "-tel ~~µJJs,ehiifi~t ~~, .. fP. P,.~lt}a,!l,t lilm F. Mwiinga, · Di rector 'of Public Prosecutions\Lfor:,thelRespondent·,:·,,, ,,;;.~:t 1 i.;it'c, f,11· The ·appel~art was. chaJ1!ed,;,b,e{pr1,t,~~~;. M~s.;ixr,!1~4lr ,:t;J},8:, ~ft~: <:!;t~~ilP11:.ri~ ·. the Solwezt District, with th~ Of;f~rc!:,R! tlP~f:~, ~r,,RHP~ip,. ~~tY~~t c9n~~ar1i:t Jf, to Sections ~72 ,and 277. .of th_!! .~e,~al:,Sog0~.-;,,.,Th~., ~,,~~fu.l~r~.w,r:,:,}h.~'t;, ~~ 1 , :., between 1st January, 1983 an~ 5t~. _Ma. Y-,; ,1,?;~3:(i ~-n p,e ,!~P \R~~~' ,.~X, c~~~: ~~erage · Board of ,Zambi~, stole 5,276,,_8 .~9~ 8f,_1!1~.a;t ,X~-~~8,~;l\i~q_,Ji,~P~Mff,,.,~~t,:,,it,., ';\:,;';;'!' property of the Cold Storage Board of Zambia. He was convicted of that· offence after which he was 9ommttted to the High Court for sentence and the High Court· sentenced· him; to 8 yearsJimprisonment1,withnhard;1labour,h Heti m,,,,:,t .· nt:lw • appeals· to this court' against1b.oth. convict1Qn tand 1-sent~nce:,,_,,,,_' '., p&,, i.tLa, •,·,C, ,<. "·'·' 1,. ,1 :,' •.: (:' 11•0:i,,'/•.•, ,;: ' A~· j'"'"~/'"'',! \ j '.,""!"I t.1'j;,,~, ',II.¢" . The f,~~~~,o,f;,~hiS,· c~~~ ~o~,- iV;1dJ!~u£!,iw,&e. as follow~.~ I · ':, •,, ~J·• ~ i' · • "'1 q,,_,:~:,.l.\-1,ti.:,. ('"->• c· •!:• j t;,.;,l,;:,(fJ,f» '!,\1•· ,l1.:t u.:; · ·~4i.,·,t·•i. A•·~ 11,\.l 1'•t,_,1-i5;! ~ 1Jl..:( :.~ ),,':.:t;;.t~i · • , '• { '; o., -'kc" ~-. ,, ,,;, · ,,~ f ··1;:i';·,:? PW1, Charles Muhone, was the Manager of Solwezi Depat 'of Cold Storage Boar.d of Zambia.:,.· His i11111ediate ,subordinate•wastl!W9,i;L:uke Foloshi• .: 1:Herm. . was a supervisor and used ,to record,:details,iof,:meat,:.taken 111to/the Sf;t a1;Ii./,: retail cold, rooms and lllso. detaUs.,of .. meat :taken· out~:h1It,,wasil1is :duty ;'.t_o. V,:, sell meat.' l 'The accused was•.the 'Boo~"!Keeper' at the Depot. His duti.es included deputising and in the absence of the Manager. the accused took- over as Manager. room and the banker cold rooms during the period January, 1983 and May, 1983. ·He was the custodian of the keys to both the retail cold ' . . 'i},) . . I In January, 1983, PW1 brought forward from 1982 stock, 177.sidas of beef weighing 12,076.3 Kgs which fonned the opening stock as at 3rd It is on record that soma institutions such as the January, 1983_. Dairy Produce Board and Zambia Anny also kept meat and other items in the depot and were charged storage. By 5th May, 1983 the depot was supposed to have 195 sides of .beet we1Qh1ng J3.~tz ."9~ _ti!~inii!Jt. Q, .... " accow.it ?tocks sold out from January;to·~th _May, 1983, but instead a stock taking revealed a loss. Thfs·loss:of meat'was attributed to the appellant. . . . The Appellant denied the charge •. He told the Court that as a book-keeper, he was to handle. cash.ke;Ys,, for ;the ;,~re. ,maln~JIJil)g,, • , , debt,or.s and debt collection ledgers and· pttty':'ca1h book. He said he was not involved in selling of meat;'' 1 Accorc:Unf to' him PWf (Manager Muhone) and Supervisor Foloshi (PW9), were the people responsible for the sales of meat. He said from January, 1983 to May, 1983, he was asked to keep the keys for the cold rooms ·.,iafter working hours.•• He , .. said he was merely opening the doors·fothe'morning forMIJhorie and· . Foloshl to carry out the sales, and locked the:doors'after working ho.urs The learned Director of·PYblic Prosecution does not .support-the conviction. It 1s our view that he. has taken th_e right course. It . IS clear from the record that the evidence which the Prosecution relied on was merely that of opportunity in that the-appellant was the custodian of the keys of the cold rooms of the Cold Storage Board Depot . premUes. ' '' . :-- ; . . ' It is•ctear from thl--t'ecord that ~h• evidence showed how the 1111at In no way'was the Appellant's position was handled at Solwezi Depot. significant _in handling meat •. He merely opened the doors while the sales of meat was left to PW1 and PW~. . '' .... .·:•\ ,;. .... :,._-; ··< ', . , .. ·: ·.<,,~ .. /· . . •, ' ' .< . , •.. ,' '[!:· .,.-, ' ·'.· . .' . In the circumstance, we are unable to conflnn the conviction. We quash the conviction and set the sentence aside. We also set aside the Statutory Judgment entered in favour of the Attorney-Generalt;: . We will therefore allow this appeal. . .:,.'.}1·.:, {1{ 1::,1·:f·;~;·,\ ... ,;--~•,_.-.,.,..-_,. __ ·~~ . ',,..,.,. /"\,; '·'.\: . : :'.'- '. : ,'·_\'.',",,> Ol) i, · '· ··:,i·v. B. K. SBweupe;" " ACTI_NG ~UP~EjOURT JUDGE t.:.:·:.: ;••,:;)~; ~}~''' ~,' ...... : . ., •. u_o,".• . U ,_,.,,~'l.!1!. U.t.t,,U,l!JOJ;!!-"U.!\,!!,.b~,i!. U. O • • • •· · . n ',. ,· M~S. Ch1Ul1: ACTING° SUPREME. COURT.-JUDGE-:,~--· : "~--,· .,,i·.,:< . 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