Frank Paul Chimbali v The People (Application No. 57 of 1987) [1988] ZMSC 86 (23 August 1988)

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ZAMBIA HOLDEN AT LUSAKA Application No. 57 of 1987 (Criminal Jur1sdlct1~n)' CORAM: Ngulub~, D. C.~ •. , . Gardner;,,} •~• ,Ai:a,q ~n~~_!,~,•l<:~. S-. i--.:):i·Ji, th:? ,:· .' '. ·N. s. Simang_o, Legal. Aid. ca,uns~L_,fo_r -~~~- ~~PH_;a~t 1 ~ ., ~ -,,.1\ N. B. Mutt!, Assistant Senior State Advocate; for the respondent ' .. r• ,·· L.,;.~; t. ~' .. •J·:·-, ·-~\ i: cf ft•"' · . '·-23rd;Aug·ust;·~r19aat ,.)'.~.,~tt,1·;. j·:: ,. If ,., ~.-.... 1:'I"~ '-1.:l~ t!rt;/1fffi.ll l / 17: i ••. A ,, · .. :p .., ·1 ; . ·: , ~ . l.,) :·.-~·'-·:. . ·~ ::t' 11 \ ,'\ j~~! :!r ·.rr:18 ;,,~l;:, . . i; •. :"·( L( t'._J ; ~~~ ~~ ,: ,j . ~ ~: ''. ,·- A-11U f9io~ t.f1.tE·;'i~l~T i tc• rd far 'ti; '.'h'3 • . l =~-~ ' -·-. ' , \ . ';.••:~ •··,· - .. - <.,it~.,., (tnri ; r,•·· ,-..~ "C:' '"1 t , '!"1 r, ·1•f~·; ,.,\,.f ;~ ."'-'• • · I p • • • • • • : i • • • • PO • ~ • • . • · • ," r •, '. ":" ♦ ", .. .. • · , , , ' .. ·.: • ·· • • • · 1 i•i._ ~ t ~ ---: ,•,r •,1 .. , • , , ~ r .--~ :· • •'!• '. .., , ,. •' : ; , • I . ~ •·_. ~- ;.;h-:!'l \ . .,c,., .... ~-.. ~ :·,r,,.-... ~ . - : I,. ·· ··-· it -r ... ~- ·· ~ f '-" The applicant ·was convicted 'on· one count of'" obtaining money'' '·, .. i by false pretences. The particulars of the offence·were that he together with the co-accus~d on . a date· ~nkno~-~ · . but' b;tw~h" ·,3rd ''a~d .. 6th February, 1986,. at· Lusaka, jointly and Whilst··acting together ._,_ ... ; · . and with intent to defraud obtained K183 from PW2 by falsely • i pretending that the applicant and his ·colleagues were ·sent by · . Fred Musukuma (who was PW3) who was entitled to marriage allowance · when in fact not. Mr. Simango on behalf of the applicant sought ·to raise an argument based on the financial regulations made .under '' · · chapter 600 of the Laws· of Zambia and in particular 'the regulation which requires cashiers-to pay the beneficiaries of any cheques only on proof ·of the proper identity of the payee. He also sought to argue that there was geneaal weakness in the case against the a pp 1 i cant and that the ev 1 de nee was in suf f lei en.t' to· susta 1n· i. ; 1-. :- ." • , ., " conv1ct'ion. ,In this regard he mad_~ general rema·rks"'cr1ticis1ng'.the failure by the prosecution to call as a witness a- council police officer who was called,by the·cashier to come and apprehend. the applicant and take him to the chief accountant"i~and :a1s9 ,9~.nerally ' - · · criticised tlie evidence of the cashier and other•·w1tnesses as' being suspect for reasons which could not be articulated. ' : • i "I 1 t •• •' tl • .. ·. ~~ -· , · ~ - • • I , ,l , ' : ' .., • ' ' • \ •• • ~ ·• , . , • ' • e - ~ , , ... • I o • • I I I • • • • • I ' ' ( . ,., .... W : 1 ~- I 2 •· •.•• • ·• • • •·· e . f. l , ' I . I I ' ' , ' u .., We ha~e given due consideration to the· grounds as· filed ·and the ' I \ , • ' I , I I . • • • •• - • • •. • • • , • -, .. • • ·' !_ ' I • • I ' . .· ' ' . ' . . , I' l,: . . ' . , ' ; • : • ; , • ' 1 . ,~; > \ • , ~ •.t f ·. • ' ,. ! • l~ submis:51ons in support and must say straightaway that· there .ts.:/:·: absolutely no merit whatsoever in this applJcation. which-we consider to be somewhat fr.ivolous. The evidence. given -at :~he trial'-established quite conc~usively that the applicant had exhibi~ed an intention to claim a·married housing allowance on behalf of PW3. He.obtained'the particulars of this witness and invented a wife ·for him. Most of this was witnessed by PWB who was· an independent bystander: 'Though the appl'icant was acquitted of other charges of forgery. and uttering, it was a fact ·nonetheless that an affidavit,of.marriage was wrongfully lodged with PW4 by the applicant on behalf .. of PW3 who was ,a bachelor in fact. It was a fact that PW3 refused to accept.payment of the married allowance on .. payment vouchers which- were ·prepared without' .. h1s· -- knowledge and consent and which'PW6 ~ttempted to.offer to PW3. The evidence was overwhelming that the same payment·-vouchers· -were ·ciash-ed- -- wl th PW2 by the co-~ccused one of:whoin··cthe' thiri'accused) posed as PW3 and whose f~Ise .. ident~ty_ wa!"'xopRh~~1/?r, _by ~~e"s~~on~ --'~c~y~~4• On the second payment the applicant. personally, attended before ,. , ~t--=.. PW2 and pretended ,he was duly sen~ Pr, ~Wt~H.f911.~~-~.::~~~.:b~l.~~9e,,Rf: the. payment. The w~ol e of the a_rgu~en~ b~_~eg: ,~~ :ii>H0-:; ~.nd 1 p~~-~~g~res and th~ financial. reg~Iations 1~ trre~~~ant,.~.~d,-.~~~~er~ql_~ ! ~. What was in issue was not the policy but the actual ;facts .. of, .. the case:.as / disclosed by the .evidence •. The def1c1enc1esJn. th~,evidence,w.~ic,h, he rel_fes upon resulted .. in his .a~quittal on ,,tfle two counts ,o.f f9rgery; ,., ,1 . and uttering. They .. ,dtct .no.t. 1~.a~y. '!'ay ,t~p;iG,:t~.e.i~•Y.,~. Q~tmt~_Q.,_case on the count of obtaining by fal~e pretences., -T~is_,,.~pp}i~atiQ0;-1s ._ ..,' t •, !'t;\ .. '-'.1-l,:,. ◄ . , , . ... ( . . ~~·· ,,••,l.•.l:·.~1•.!·J•··~ ~-~. · ... ·.c.: ~·· '•• L •• It..:.~- •, · • ~ ~ :-::1 1 .,".,· ··-·.- :· !.~::. , : . . •!·· -.,.;1·. ,:: .' '.·: l-f l • •. ,-', • ,,•', . . ,,•,.·,. , ; • \~( : "•' • ''• . , ;~ • ; v ', • • . , ,. '. • • •·~ :, :~ · I . \ :' • • • • :· •· ••• ~ , . . . . • • • J • • • • • • • . · •: . , ' l • ; , • · . .~··, : • . • - •. r i,,i J,.;, , : \. ~1 .• ,,,-. •· ... ··, .. .... ·;·•·•r .. ..... .. , l i refused. . ... :; ,.:: ~;• i-'-=Y tliJ ~•Ut!fi.clu;--ies of _nny _ ci1eql.!e~, · ,.;l'' rr, .. ,:-·:·,· J 1i~nu·1._~, l':l'f _t.tit" l'l~Y~e- He o.l~a ~o~_g_ht . ' , " ,:-~• ~,< , • ; t • r • • .,.1.< '"':_,,:-,;;-;~:; in the· case ~g1'!5nst th~ 1 M." M:-' s~··w:·· Ngulube .·,. , ..... : .r.•, ..... ~ ••.•• !'· •·•.~. ~-~ •··• •:• •••••••• .• , · ' ' -··· ,, ' . ,_ .. . : .. ·,,,;)A,,.:. , ,:oEPUT. Y(CHIEF.:JusncE·: , .. : ,~:,:::~·r tc. ,::;:::·,· :~nd n;ipreh1::nd the · ,. ; ·f -1·······• ............... :•·•··~•·•••-:t•~--.••·•··. I • I •.,, . . . · · ·· ( · ·• ·. ·, - B. ·' 1T • . Gardner' ' .. J;..: , 'JUDGE.1 'SUPREME COURT ·, ,, · . ' ............. ~···············•·: ACTING JUDGE SUPREME COURl ? M •. .. s., . ,Challa ,•\ ., \ I., ~ • ~ r I '