Cop sent to jail for soliciting bribe

THE Livingstone Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a police officer and his 31-year-old civilian acquaintance to five years imprisonment with hard labour for soliciting a K5, 000 bribe.
Magistrate Andrew Kasongo last Thursday jailed Andrew Zulu, 30, a police officer of house number 120 and Allan Munkoyo, of house number 42, John Hunt township.
Munkoyo is also facing a charge of impersonating a Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officer.
In count one, Zulu and Munkoyo on January 4, 2012 in Livingstone, jointly and whilst acting together solicited a K5, 000 bribe from Jonathan Wulbern with intent to drop a drug trafficking offence involving 15.5 grammes of marijuana.
And in the second count, it is alleged that Munkoyo impersonated a DEC officer contrary to the law.
And defence lawyer Adrian Nkausu pleaded with the court to exercise maximum leniency on his clients because they are first offenders.
Passing the sentence, Mr Kasongo said he had considered Zulu and Munkoyo’s mitigation and the fact that the convicts are remorseful for their actions.
“My leniency is curtailed by the law because the offence has got a prescribed minimum sentence that a person will be liable to.
“The offence you are charged with carries a minimum sentence of not less than five years, the sentence will commence from April 2 this year when the two were convicted,” Mr Kasongo said.
He said Zulu and Munkoyo would serve a five-year jail sentence each with hard labour and also imposed a one-year jail term on Munkoyo for impersonating a DEC officer.
Mr Kasongo said the sentences imposed on Munkoyo would run concurrently.
He granted Zulu and Munkoyo leave to appeal to the High Court within 14 days.

CHALI MULENGA, ZambiaDailyMail