Former Employee Sentenced to 3 Years Imprisonment with Hard Labor for Stealing K620,000 from Employer's Bank Account

Malawi: A 42-year-old man, Rex Impossible, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment with hard labour for theft by a servant by the Blantyre Central Senior Resident Magistrate's Court.

This comes after his conviction by Blantyre Central Senior Resident Magistrate Euphrazia Moyo on December 12, 2023.

The court heard that Rex had been working as a driver for Joyce Chitakata, aged 59, for the past seven years.

He took advantage of his employer's trust by transferring K620,000 from her National Bank account into his own Mobile Airtel Money account through MO626.

According to Sub Inspector Widson Nhlane, Public Relations Officer at Ndirande Police Station, the victim had sent Rex to do banking transactions on her behalf and had even revealed her pin code to him.

Rex took advantage of this trust and made the unauthorized transfer between May 2022 and early January 2022.

When the victim discovered the unauthorized transactions, she contacted the bank, which led to the discovery that Rex was the perpetrator.

Police arrested him and charged him with Theft by Servant, in accordance with Section 286 as read with Section 278 of the Penal Code.

In court, Rex pleaded guilty and requested leniency, citing his first-time offender status and the fact that his family would suffer if he were given a custodial sentence.

However, the state prosecutor argued for a stiffer punishment, stating that Rex had planned and benefited from the theft and that the victim had suffered a total loss as the money was not recovered.

The presiding magistrate concurred with the state's argument and sentenced Rex to three years imprisonment with hard labour as a deterrent to would-be offenders.