On Thursday, Francistown Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu slapped two Francistown men with two-year suspended sentences for 13 counts of fraud.
According to the charge sheet, one of the accused, Engemedzo Mokgwebe, who was an employee at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital in Francistown on various days forged sick leave certificates for the second accused, Ogorogile Kufigwa, in 2007.
The accused used a genuine certificate that is supposed to have been issued by a Medical Doctor.
Kufigwa, who was an employee at the Tati Nickel Mine, on various times in 2007 also forged a fitness certificate by his employer, commonly acting together with Mokgwebe.
The prosecutor had told court that the accused did not have any right or lawful excuse to do so. He added that the accused maliciously committed the offence to defraud their employers.
According to the facts from the prosecution, on the 18th of March at Tati Nickel Mine, the internal investigations at the mine revealed that there was a forged form that belonged to Kufigwa and filed the report with the police.
However, giving sentence, Mulalu indicated that on the basis that both the accused had pleaded guilty to all counts, they saved the court’s time and that by the accused admitting the offence, it showed that they were remorseful.
The magistrate further said that their plea acted as mitigation to their offence.
“This offence can be punishable by up to three years imprisonment but both of the accused will be sentenced to two years in jail if they commit any offence that relates to fraud,” he warned.
