A NDOLA businesswoman and two others were yesterday found with a case to answer by the Ndola magistrate court for theft of fertiliser worth about K500 million and assisting a suspect in the matter to escape.

Ndola Chief Resident Magistrate, Kelvin Limbani put Ulia Chilemya Sinya, a business woman of 78 Itawa flats in Ndola, Vivian Mubita of 41 Oval Road in Northrise and Sophia Chinoda of 262 Simon Mwansa Road in Avondale in Lusaka on their defence for theft, issuing a false cheque and assisting another suspect to escape.

Sinya is in the first count charged with issuing a false cheque.

Particulars are that Sinya on January 28, in Ndola with intent to defraud, wilfully and dishonestly issued a cheque to Ominia Small Scale in the sum of K434,389,600 on an insufficiently funded Stanbic Bank account.

In the second count, Sinya is charged with obtaining pecuniary advantage by false pretences.

Particulars are that on January 28, Sinya by false pretences in Ndola, dishonestly obtained for herself a pecuniary advantage of 1,958 x 50kg bags of fertiliser valued at K434,389,600 from Omnia Small Scale, a debt she made herself liable and in whole evaded payment.

Mubita in the third count is charged with theft and is alleged on an unknown date but between January 27 and February 12, jointly and while acting together with an unknown person stole K74,720,708.08 cash, property of Omnia Small Scale.

Chinoda is in the fourth count charged with accessory and is alleged to have on March 5, in Ndola, while knowingly that Josephine Chinoda Chishimba had committed a felony, assisted her to escape.

Mr Limbani said from the evidence that the prosecution had brought to court, he had found that the accused persons should answer to the charge and should therefore be put on their defence.

"From the 12 witnesses that the prosecution had brought to court, and the evidence before me, I have found the accused with a case to answer and I accordingly put the accused persons on their defence," he said.

The lawyer for the third accused person said the Legal Aid Board was on record to be the representative of the first two accused persons and their defence counsel was attending the burial of the wife to the Director of Public Prosecution in Lusaka and was therefore not before the court.

He, however, said for his client, Chinoda, would give her evidence on oath and was ready to proceed.

Mr Limbani adjourned the matter to November 9 for defence.