A SHOP keeper has been sentenced to a one-year imprisonment and fined $2,000 yesterday after pleading guilty to stealing $75,000 from his employer.
Moses Kande, 20, of Gela pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement.
Principal Magistrate Edwin Saramo regarding the aggravating circumstances, said he accepts that embezzlement, and similar offences such as larceny by servant, are serious offences because they destroyed the trust that an employer has in his/her employee.
“Society frowns on those who launch dishonest practices from positions of trust and the law, which represents the conscience of society, condemns them to punishment.
“The sentencing goal for such offender is deterrence, hence the need for a punishment of sufficient severity to deter the offender from reoffending and to warn others about the consequences of doing what the accused has done.”
The court heard the money was never recovered.
Mr Saramo said at 20 years of age, Kande was a young man and coupled with his level of education (form six), he has good prospect for further education and rehabilitation.
“He deserves the opportunity to turn his life around and become a good citizen of this country,” Mr Saramo said.
He took into account Kande’s early guilty plea.
Kande also told the court he was willing to pay a fine of about $3,000 to be applied to his employer for compensation, which Mr Saramo said indicated that he is remorseful for what he did.
Mr Saramo imposed the starting point sentence of two years, six months but has substituted one year for the $2,000 fine in default of one year to the state.
This means if Kande failed to pay up the fine, he will spend another one year in prison.
Six months of the imposed sentence was ordered to be suspended on good behaviour for a period of 12 months.
The suspended sentence will be effective after Kande is released from serving his imprisonment sentence.
The court also back dated his sentence to when he was taken into custody.
Private lawyer Samuel Balea represented Kande while Police Prosecutor Abel Maelanga represented the State.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
