A magistrate court in Mulanje has sentenced a Mulunje prison warder to 9-months imprisonment with hard labour but suspended the sentence to 12-months after he was found guilty for stealing a water pump at the institution worth K1.5 million.
The convict identified as Geofery Kumbukani Sayiwa who appeared before court on Friday to answer charges of theft contrary to section 278 of the penal code.
The court heard that on April 3, a water pump which was donated at the prison by Saint Saint Egidio of the Roman Catholic Church was discovered stolen and the matter was reported at Mulanje Police Station.
Officers from the said police station visited the scene and launched an investigation afterwards.
On April 18, a well-wisher tipped police that one of the prison waders at the institution is the one who stole the pump hence the arrest of the warder. When interrogated, he revealed to have stolen the item with the aim of selling it.
Police also managed to recover the one million five hundred kwacha pump.
Appearing before her worship Mifa Chimkudzu on Friday, the warder pleaded guilty to theft charges.
When passing her judgment on Tuesday, Third Grade Magistrate Chimkudzu said action by the accused was contradicting what security persons are supposed to do.
She added that despite the fact that the accused pleaded guilty on his own, what he did was bad and he deserved a maximum penalty which in this case is 5 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Chimkudzu however said since apart from pleading guilty on his own, the accused had also automatically lost his job, the court would be considerate.
She therefore sentenced him to 9-months imprisonment with hard labour but suspended the sentence to 12-months.
The convict comes from Balakasi village, traditional authority Chikowi in Zomba.
