Impersonating Doctor jailed

BONAVENTURE Ng’uni heads to the holding cell at the Lusaka Magistrate Courts yesterday. – Picture by CHANDA MWENYA

LUSAKA magistrate Sheila Mweene has handed down a four-and-half-year sentence with hard labour on a 25-year-old man of Lusaka’s George township for impersonating a medical doctor at Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital and University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

Bonaventure Ng’uni was arrested and charged with impersonating a public officer as well as swindling a University of Zambia (UNZA) student out of two new laptops.
When the matter came up for mention, Ng’uni pleaded guilty to all the four counts he was facing.
In the first count, Ng’uni was charged with impersonating a public officer by falsely presenting himself as a medical doctor to Peggy Tembo and administering treatment on her.
In the second count, he was charged with defrauding and obtaining K160 cash from Ms Tembo by falsely pretending that he was a medical doctor at Levy Mwanawasa General Hospital.
The money was paid to him as medical fee after treatment on April 10, this year.
In the third count, Ng’uni was charged with impersonating a public officer from the Ministry of Health as a medical doctor by treating Henry Mulenga on May 19, 2014 at UTH.
Ng’uni was also charged with obtaining money by false pretences when he swindled a student at the UNZA Ridgeway campus.
Delivering judgment yesterday, Magistrate Mweene said she was compelled to send Ng’uni to prison because the crime he committed was grave even if he was a first offender.
She said the offence Ng’uni committed affected all Zambian citizens because he was committing such crimes at public institutions where even honourable people are found.
“Do you know what it takes to be a medical doctor? You were insulting the medical profession and I don’t know what you were thinking in your mind.
“You are not supposed to be in society and I will, therefore, punish you for the offences you committed and you should know that each count attracts three years imprisonment with hard labour. But since you are a first offender and you have shown remorse, I will exercise leniency on you,” Ms Mweene said.
In the first count, Magistrate Mweene slapped 30 months on Ng’uni which will run concurrently with the 10 months she slapped on him in the second count with effect from yesterday.
She further slapped 18 months on Ng’uni in the third count and 24 months in the fourth count to run concurrently, which he will serve after 30 months have elapsed.
“You will serve count three and four after you have served the 30 months which will run concurrently with effect from today [yesterday],” Ms Mweene said.
In his mitigation, Ng’uni pleaded with the court to exercise leniency on him as he is a first offender and a family man.
He said he is married with two children and that he is unwell and taking medication.
Ng’uni said if convicted, there will be no-one to take care of the family, including his wife who is six months pregnant.
And chief resident magistrate Joshua Banda has adjourned to August 19 a case in which three Bulgarians have been charged with stealing over K945,000 from automated teller machines.
This is in a case in which Milko Stayanova Ketstadinov, 44, Hrito Ivanovdon Kov, 39, and Hassan Alwe Al Batti, 29, are charged with unauthorised access of intercepting data contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

Source: Zambia Daily Mail