A CASHIER at a city supermarket who was accused of stealing more than $14 000 and R150 000 by her employer was on Friday found not guilty and acquitted at the close of the State’s case due to lack of evidence. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Gladys Gabriella Vosta (36) of Greenhill in Bulawayo, who was employed by Bonsa Casablanca Supermarket as a cashier, had denied the theft charges when she appeared before Bulawayo acting regional magistrate Crispen Mberewere.
Her lawyer Lison Ncube applied for discharge at the close of the State’s case citing lack of evidence linking her to the crime.
Ncube submitted that the State witnesses called to testify, Stephen Lea John Cobban and Kalpersh Parshotam, had said nothing that supported the State’s allegations and did not provide proof as to how the theft was done.
“From his evidence, it can be safely said that there was nothing linking accused to the commission of the offence and no documentary evidence was given in court to show how the misrepresentation was committed,” he said.
Ncube said the second witness only told the court that he had the keys to the cash box and he confirmed that when the accused handed over the money to the branch manager he was not there.
“As stated above, not only has the State got a problem with a fatally defective charge, but the essential elements of the offence have not been established and there are absolutely no facts upon which a court can be asked to draw an inference that the accused did commit an offence. Accordingly it is respectfully submitted that the accused should be found not guilty and discharged,” he submitted.
The court heard that from August 18 2011 to November 18 2013 Vosta would complete a cash summary sheet on a daily basis after collecting money from till operators and take it to the manager for counting.
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The management would then sign on the daily cash summary sheet as proof that the money written on the summary sheet balanced with what the accused had.
It was the State’s case that the signed cash summary sheet would then be taken to the accounts department by the accused.
It was alleged that Vosta would steal some money and prepare another daily summary sheet not bearing the manager’s signature which would be misrepresenting to the management that the daily accounts were in order.
She would allegedly take the daily summary purporting to be in possession of the money.
The offence came to light on November 18 2013 when the supermarket was shutting down business after Vosta submitted to the manager only $3 and R185.
The supermarket management then established that $14 515,78 and R152 285,50 could not be accounted for on the cash summary sheet.
A report was made to the police, leading to Vosta’s arrest.
