CHIBAYA ESCAPES JAIL

Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator Amos Chibaya and his four accomplices who were last week convicted of participating in an unlawful gathering have escaped jail after they were ordered to pay US$500 fine each.

Chibaya was jointly charged with Cosmas Machingauta, Monica Mukwada, Aletta Viremai and Lancelot Tungwarara.

The magistrate said failure to pay the fine would mean that the accused persons would serve six months in jail.

However, she wholly suspended six months from the sentence on condition that they don’t commit a similar offence in the next five years.

In her ruling, the magistrate said the court had taken into consideration that all the accused persons are first offenders and philanthropists.

She said each of the accused persons has assisted the community in various ways.

However, she ruled that the accused persons premeditated the commission of this offence.

Mrs Rakafa said imposing a custodial sentence would be too harsh and would cause untold suffering to the four’s families. Herald

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