No bail for forgery, says state

THE State has opposed a bail application by a Lusaka businessman who has been jailed six years for forging a title deed he attempted to use to sell another person·s farm Morgan Phiri, 64, has been jointly sentenced with a Mary Moyo for forgery and uttering a false document but Phiri is seeking bail pending appeal to the High Court. The court record indicates that the two with others unknown, forged the title deed almost similar to the one for a farm belonging to former ZNBC director of programmes late Ben Kangwa’s father-in-law, who is equally deceased. The two then attempted to sell the said farm located in Lusaka’s Makeni area at K700, 000, and managed to find buyers of Somalia origin. Later, Phiri and Moyo took the Somalis to the farm but the latter became suspicious upon noticing that there was already a farmhouse at the premises. Afterwards, the buyers went back to the farm to inquire about its true ownership and they found Mr. Kangwa’s son who lived there. As Phiri and Moyo were waiting for the payment, the late Mr. Kangwa’s son and the potential buyers set a trap for the convicts by telling the two that they should collect K350, 000 down payment from their customers at a named lodge in Kabulonga. The two were subsequently charged for the subject offence and recently Lusaka Magistrate Nthandose Chabala slapped a six-year jail term on them but Phiri is seeking bail pending appeal. When the matter came up for hearing of the bail application yesterday, Phiri told Ms. Chabala that he is an old man of fixed abode and that he abided by bail conditions during trial; adding that he has experienced challenges at home since his bail was revoked upon conviction.