The Senior Resident magistrate court in Mzuzu yesterday sentenced five Bangladeshi nationals and one Pakistani national for entering into the country illegally.
The court through Northern Region Immigration Prosecutor Inspector Augustus Mulungu heard that the 6 foreigners entered Malawi without valid Immigration permits hence Contravening Section 21(1) as read with section 37(d) of the Malawi Immigration Act.
Upon being interrogated, it was revealed that the foreigners used uncharted routes to enter Malawi with the aim of going to South Africa.
Security officers arrested them at Mzokoto area in Rumphi district whilst hiding inside a van.
In his rulling, Senior Resident Magistrate Ashford Harawa sentenced each person to 2 months imprisonment with hard labour without an option of a fine.
He further ordered that upon completion of the sentence, the convicts should be deported back to their original homes.
The decision to sentence the convicts to imprisonment with hard labour was arrived at bearing in mind that the convicts had time to undergo Malawi Immigration entry procedures but deliberately decided to beat the Immigration system, a malpractice posing health as well as security threats to Malawi.
The convicts include Sawon Sareng aged 20, Ashikur Rahman Rabbi aged 22, Arif Hossain aged 25, Yasin Molla aged 27 and Mehrab Hossain Juwel all from Bangladesh. The Pakistani is 24 year old Muhammad Usman.
Meanwhile, the convicts are at Mzuzu prison serving their jail term.
Follow us on Twitter:
