The Lusaka Magistrate Court has sentenced a Kitwe-based businesswoman and socialite Kadijah Mungil to three years’ simple imprisonment for trafficking 25 pellets of cocaine weighing 500 grams.
Magistrate Peter Mungala noted that Kadijah will serve 18 months’ simple imprisonment, with the other half suspended.
In his judgment, Magistrate Mungala found that the prosecution team had established a prima facie case against the now convict.
He stated that the witness evidence was corroborating and that the public analyst laboratory test proved the substance was indeed cocaine.
Further, he stated that according to evidence, the Toyota Mark X in which the substance was found was indeed hers, despite her not having signed the transfer of ownership documentation.
He added that based on evidence from DEC Officers, it was proven that she was found in possession of the substance in her vehicle at Subina Supermarket in Kitwe which she surrendered after being intercepted.
Mr. Mungala later found her guilty and convicted her accordingly.
However, in her mitigation through her defense counsel, she contended that she was remorseful and pleaded for a suspended sentence in place of a custodial sentence, stating that the justice system is correctional and not punitive.
Nevertheless, the court has sentenced her to three years with a condition that she will not commit a similar offense.
By Cecilia Kayaya Mpotokoso
