The Lilongwe Magistrate Court has sentenced former government assistant accountant, Victor Sithole, the second convict in the plundering of public funds dubbed cashgate to 9 years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL).

Sithole has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for illegal possession of foreign currency (forex), another one year for possession of property suspected to have been stolen and seven years for money laundering. The sentences will run consecutively.

Delivering its ruling , Lilongwe Senior Magistrate Patrick Chirwa said it would have been a mockery of justice to hand out a suspended sentence to such an offence.

He added that Sithole did not deserve a short sentence as he was found culpable and sentencing below 6 years would be too short.

Sithole, was found in possession of US$31, 850 (K112 million) and R122,000 (K5 million) in September 2013. The prosecution wants the money forfeited to government.