The Itezhi Tezhi Magistrates Court has convicted and sentenced a 26-year-old Itezhi Tezhi housewife and fined her K120, 000 for unlawfull possession of game meat.
Itezhi Tezhi Magistrate, Mugala Chalwe convicted Prisca Muyuni, a resident of Timuna Village in Chief Shimbizhi’s Chiefdom in Itezhi Tezhi District in Central Province.
In this case, Prisca Muyuni, a housewife of Itezhi Tezhi was charged with unlawful possession of government trophy contrary to section 97(3) as read together with section 129 of the wildlife Act no. 14 of 2015 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence alleged that Prisca Muyuni on August 12, 2020 in Itezhi Tezhi District in Central Province , did possess government trophy namely 12 kgs of fresh kudu, without a certificate issued to her by the Director of Department of National Parks and Wildlife in respect thereof.
When the case came up for plea before Magistrates Chalwe, Muyuni pleaded guilty to the offence.
Facts of the case were that on August 12, 2020, Wildlife Police Officers attached to the Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) were in Muchimba area when they received information that Prisca Muyuni was in possession of game meat.
The officers then mobilized themselves and went to her village and searched her house and discovered 12kgs of fresh Kudu game meat.
Muyuni was then interviewed and asked to produce a certificate that allowed her to possess the meat and when she failed to produce it, she was apprehended and later charged and arrested for the subject offence.
Senior State Prosecutor, Luckson Ngoma told court that Muyuni had no justification to possess the game meat.
And Magistrates Mugala Chalwe found her guilty upon her own confession.
In mitigation Muyuni pleaded for maximum leniency saying she was a mother of a six month old child and that she was a first offender and that she was looking after an old blind lady.
In sentencing her, Magistrates Chalwe said that she considered all what she said in her mitigation.
“I paid attention to your mitigation, you deserve leniency. Also that you are a young mother with a young baby and looking after a grandmother” she said.
She then imposed a fine of K120, 000, in default, six months suspended sentence and she informed her of her right to appeal within 14 days if she was not happy with the judgment.