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Two female police officers who were accused of stealing bags of mealie meal have sued the Attorney General, demanding damages for malicious prosecution.
According to court documents filed in the Lusaka High Court, Beauty Nyeleti and Ruth Nyirenda stated that in 2009, while the former served as officer in-charge for Lusaka Division stores department and the latter as deputy, they were accused of stealing 169 bags of APG Mealie Meal.
The duo were charged with the offence of Theft by Public Servant, suspended and put on half pay.
Nyeleti and Nyirenda said that they were sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in 2014 by the subordinate court, in the absence of evidence connecting them to the said offence.
The litigants appealed against the subordinate court’s ruling to the High Court, appeal was upheld to which end both the conviction and sentence were set aside in a judgement delivered on September 28,2021.
They contended that their prosecution was malicious due to the State’s failure to produce documentary evidence connecting them to the offence.
In the process, the officers claim to have suffered loss, mental anguish and stress.
Nyeleti and Nyirenda want damages for malicious prosecution, compensation for the damages caused to their reputations and careers.
They also want punitive damages for the mental anguish and inconvenience caused as well as interest on all sums found due.
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