Share

Graft: Zambia ex-air force commander convicted

Lusaka - A Zambian court on Monday convicted the country's former air force commander Andrew Sakala of corruption, opening the door to a possible 15-year jail term.

Lieutenant General Sakala was found guilty of pocketing around a quarter of a million dollars that was earmarked for covert security ahead of 2011 elections.

A Lusaka court found two other top brass - Zambia Army commander General Wisdom Lopa and Zambia National Service commander General Anthony Yeta - not guilty on the same charges.

"The prosecution has failed to prove the case against the two accused persons and I therefore acquit them," magistrate Wilfred Muma said in court.

"I have found the accused number one guilty as charged," the he added, referring to Sakala.

The magistrate asked Lopa and Yeta to leave the dock while Sakala remained alone.

Sakala's attorney said he was not ready to mitigate for sentencing and the court adjourned until 10 October.

The maximum sentence for the offence of theft by public servant is 15 years.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 458 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 660 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.41
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE