All the four convicts in the Daisy Loo saga on Tuesday breathed a sigh of relief after they were given  suspended  sentences by Southern Regional Magistrate  Barnabas Nyamazabo.

Passing sentence, Nyamadzabo said that he had taken into consideration each convict’s  personal situation, such as their responsibility for their families, the fact that they have for a long time been on interdiction as well as receiving half salaries though they are bread winners for their  families. He said he also took into consideration the  huge legal bills they had paid their lawyers.

The magistrate also said that he had taken into consideration the fact that  they had not  benefited from  the crime they had been convicted of and that, in the case of  Managing Director of Daisy Loo Moemedi Dijeng, who  he also  convicted  together with his company, they had lost  P8 million, the sum of money used to clear bushes along the Segoditshane River bed, which  the Gaborone City Council said was never part of the tender that  the company won.

Nyamadzabo said that the fact that the convicts did not benefit from the crime should act as a mitigation for them all . The other mitigatory factor, he said, is that  both of the convicts were first offenders.

 He then sentenced Frank Molaletsi,  who was convicted of giving false information to a government official, to 18 months, wholly suspended for three years on conditions that he does not commit a similar crime.

Gilbert Sithole  was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for  conspiracy  to  steal and 18 months for giving false information to a government official, which were again fully suspended for three years on condition that he does not commit a similar crime in three years.

Frank Stegling was also sentenced to 18 months, wholly suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar crime in three years  whilst  Daisy Loo, the company, was fined a total of P4000 for conspiracy to steal and giving false information to a government employee and Dijeng to 18 months for  giving false information, which was also suspended for three years on condition he does not commit a similar crime in three  years. Gaborone  attorney, Duma Boko, speaking on behalf of all the convicts, said that they are appealing.

By : Morula Morula - 2012-04-12 13:09:43