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Primrose Nyanzero Herald Reporter
A 47-year-old Chitungwiza woman who withdrew $491 from her sick 75-year-old husband’s POSB account without his consent, only to spend it in beer halls, has been ordered to restitute the money or risk spending time in jail. Eunice Reza took possession of the bank cards before sending her husband packing from their matrimonial home.

Reza of house number 23271 Unit C, Seke pleaded not guilty to theft charges when she appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate Mrs Yeukai Chigodora. In passing sentence, Mrs Chigodora noted that even though she once took care of her husband, it did not take away that she misused the money by spending it in beer halls as reflected by the bank statement produced in court. Reza was sentenced to six months imprisonment, of which three were suspended for five years on good behaviour.

The remaining three months were also suspended on condition that she restitutes her husband the squandered money. Prosecutor Mr Farayi Katonha said Reza took advantage of her husband’s age and health condition to abuse him. He told the court that on an unknown date in July this year, Reza was staying with her husband, Goodwill Manduna, but later sent him away after confiscating his bank cards.

On September 20, Manduna’s daughter, Yolanda (30), who was now taking care of him, needed money to buy some medicine for her father and went to the bank to replace his bank cards since the other ones had remained with Reza. Upon enquiring with the bank, she was told that the account had been debited the day before. This prompted her to request a bank statement and she discovered that Reza had been withdrawing money on various occasions. Yolanda, who was granted a special power of attorney for the account, reported the matter to the police.