CHALI MULENGA
Livingstone
LIVINGSTONE Local Court A1 has ordered a man who has defaulted on child support payment for over four years to pay the outstanding amount of K21,400.
The court found Sebastian Siakondo, a resident of Dambwa North in Livingstone, guilty of contempt of court for failing to meet his legal obligations.
The case against Siakondo dates back to March 21, 2016 when he appeared in court to seek divorce.
The divorce was granted, and he was subsequently ordered to pay K250 per month in child support and K400 per month in spousal maintenance for a period of two years.
However, Siakondo failed to comply despite being in a financial position to do so leading to a lengthy legal battle.
In his defence, Siakondo told the court that he was married and had five children who were entirely dependent on him for financial support.
He told the local court that if he were given a custodial sentence, it would disrupt the family’s livelihood.
“I am also dealing with health issues,” he said.
Passing judgment, Senior Local Court Magistrate Esau Daka ordered Siakondo to pay the outstanding K21,400 arrears in child support with an initial payment of K3,000 to be followed by K300 monthly instalments.
The court reminded Siakondo that non-compliance with the court order would result in imprisonment before imposing a K125 fine on him as contempt of court or the alternative of serving a 21-day simple imprisonment term.
“This is a strong message about the importance of fulfilling one’s legal obligations, especially when it comes to supporting dependent family members. The gravity of neglecting child support payments cannot be tolerated,” the court stated…https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
