A court in Zambia on Thursday sentenced the son of former President Frederick Chiluba to eight months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing a mobile phone.

Frederick Chiluba Jr. was found guilty of stealing a Samsung S7 Edge phone valued at $843 from a woman, Brenda Chisha on September 2, 2017 and trading it for drugs in a notorious slum in Lusaka, the country’s capital.

Delivering the judgment, Lusaka magistrate, Nthandose Chabala said she handed Chiluba Jr the custodial sentence as a deterrent to him and other would-be offenders.

Chabala said she was satisfied that there was enough evidence connecting the convict to the theft of the phone, adding that the prosecuting counsel had proved his case beyond all reasonable doubt.

Frederick Chiluba Snr ruled Zambia from 1991 to 2001. His tenure was dogged by corruption allegations, leading to his immunity from prosecution being lifted after he vacated office.