By MONICA KAYOMBO
NINE employees of Ndola- based petroleum company, Tazama, are in court accussd of steaover 30,000 litres of fuel valued at more than K200,000 from their employer.
The nine are charged of two counts of theft by public servant.
Before Ndola Magistrate Benson Akende, were Miselo Banda 28, Gerald Ngoma 27, Nchimunya Zilombo 29, Chomba Mubanga 37, Jeremiah Mumbi 33, Joseph Banda 39, Mike Banda 32, Kunda Chilufya 28, and Chanda Bwalya 38.
Particulars of the offence in the first count are that on April 11, this year, Banda a planner, Ngoma a fuel dispensing operator, Zilombo an offloading supervisor, jointly and whilst acting together with other persons unknown allegedly stole 34,000 litres of diesel valued at K226,759.26, which came into their possession by virtue of their employment.
In the second count, Mubanga, Joseph Banda, Mike Banda, Chilufya and Bwalya, are accused of the similar offence.
Presenting evidence before magistrate Akende, Webby Chanda, an operations manager at Tazama testified that 34,000 litres of diesel was not accounted for.
Chanda said the incident occurred when he was off duty and that the supervisors on duty had no idea how the unacounted for diesel was used. He said delivery notes were tampered with and that one of the accused employees Miselo Banda allegedly cancelled one.
Magistrate Akende adjourned the matter to October 17 and 18, 2014 for continued trial.