Nyamangara, a family friend to Jamaican author, Benjamin Hansen, was last year sentenced to eight years in jail, three years of which were suspended on condition of good behaviour while two were suspended on condition he paid back the complainant $43 000.
Hansen left the country for Guyana in 2008 and left a balance of his Glen Lorne house’s proceeds to Nyamangara. On 10 July 2008, Nyamangara received $49 250 to deposit into Hansen’s Guyana account. Nyamangara converted the money to his own use and only gave Hansen a paltry $6000.
In April 2010 Nyamangara had successfully appealed against conviction and sentence and had enjoyed freedom until his luck ran out on him last week. The judge said the judgment Nyamangara had hoped for was “ a figment of his imagination… In my view the appeal against conviction is dismissed for lack of merit. The trial magistrate properly took into account the mitigatory and aggravating features. Indeed the aggravating (features) far outweigh the mitigatory features.”
This means that Nyamangara will serve an effective three year jail term.
Workers tried in vain to take Nyamangara to the Labour Court through the National Employment Council of the printing, packaging and newspaper industry.
Chairman of the Workers’ Committee, Byron Adonis Mutingwende, expressed regret at the development: “The verdict is very painful. More than 80 workers had hoped that Nyamangara would revive the business or either liquidate to pay workers who have not received their salaries for over a year now.”
Post published in: News