Till operator dodges jail, fraud convictions overturned

A FORMER till operator convicted of defrauding her employer has escaped an effective prison sentence after the High Court overturned two of her three fraud convictions.

Magret Chagwiza had been convicted and jailed after a contested trial on three counts of fraud as the State accused her of processing transactions as successful despite point-of-sale (POS) payments having been declined before generating invoices that enabled customers to collect goods.

However, High Court judges Justice Philda Muzofa and Catherine Bachi-Mzawazi upheld Chagwiza’s conviction on one count of fraud, but substituted her 36-month effective prison term with a wholly suspended sentence on condition she does not commit another offence involving dishonesty and performs community service.

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