8 years for stealing six cars worth K51 million

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Machinga

The Zomba Senior Resident Magistrate court has sentenced a 36-year-old bogus researcher to 8 years in prison for stealing six motor vehicles worth K51 million from a car hire.

CourtState prosecutor for Zomba Police Station, Florida Dzimbiri, told the jam-packed court that Macdonald Chopi the convict on 1st July, 2016 went to Alexander Car Hire where he hired six motor vehicles saying that he wanted to use them in a legal research which was to take six to nine months.

Since Alexander Car Hire did not have the desired vehicles, they subcontracted other car owners and managed to provide the wanted six motor vehicles that included a Toyota 3 tonner lorry, Toyota Dyna, Toyota Axio, Toyota Ace and two minibuses.

Months after hiring the vehicles, the suspect could not be located or reached on his mobile numbers and this made Alexander Car Hire through Kennedy Ntamba to report the matter to Zomba Police Station.

Upon investigations, Police arrested Chopi and after interrogation, it was discovered that he had sold all the vehicles.

Police however managed to recover all the vehicles. Three were recovered from a businessman in Dedza while the two minibuses were found in Blantyre but with the engines fixed in other vehicles and the cars registered in the name of Chopi’s wife Evelesi Moffolo.

The sixth vehicle, the Toyota Axio registration number 7021, had its registration number replaced with IT number and was recovered in Lilongwe where the businessman who bought it wanted to change ownership.

When he appeared before the Zomba Senior Resident Magistrate court, Chopi pleaded guilty to the charge of theft of motor vehicles which is contrary to section 278 of the Penal code.

Upon submission of facts by the state, he was convicted and in her submission before sentence, state prosecutor Dzimbiri asked the court to give the convict a stiff sentence considering the seriousness of the offence and the value of the six vehicles he stole.

In mitigation, Chopi asked for leniency when passing sentence saying that he looks after his family.

Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Howard Pemba said the manner of the theft showed that Chopi had planned the crime for some time.  He therefore sentenced him to 8 years imprisonment with hard labour.

Chopi comes from Zazira village, in the area of Traditional Authority Kadewere in Chiradzulu district.

 

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49 Comments

  1. I’m sure the judges was much drunk alcohol by the time there was judging this case,how come someone stealing six cars & u just give him 8yrs only?

  2. mbava ya nzeru iwe, kuba magalimoto 6 wekha, koma ubwino wake umatenga share yako pa zacashgate zija,akanakupatsa two weeks inali bwino, komatu a policewo akulephera kugwila uja anaba ndalama zachimangayu, shame on you guys

  3. We bee this kind of stealing in Malawi so genius and no one has been reported injury guys let’s congratulate this guy! And 8 yrs to him its too much , had it been an magistrate he could have only spend two wks in prison ! I salute this so genius guy

  4. Kuba kwabhoo kumeneku kumabera anthu olemera chocho not mphawi mzako ubwino wake ndrama zake ndizomwezi zidasowa ku state house zi

  5. Lionel Messi and father Jorge were last year convicted of defrauding the Spanish state of €4.1m (£3.6m; $4.6m) in unpaid taxes on the striker’s image rights, controlled by offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay. The pair were both handed 21-month jail terms in a ruling recently confirmed by Spain’s supreme court.

  6. Kkkk amaba bwanji galimoto zonsezo? Ndiye 8yrs yokha? Aaaaaa chilipo chinyengo pambalipo ndipo nkukaika ngati amalize 8yrs wakuba bakha zaka phwiiii sorry mama Malawi

  7. still struggling to understand the nature of crimes and sentences given……51m..=8yrs imprisonment , 72million=7 yrs imprisonment 85 m =6.5yrs jail term……what happens to reach such a consensus…?……search me on this

  8. CHIMENECHI NDE CHINYENGO CHOONEKELA MASO MPHENYA. Mughogho Dan William Tebulo Woyipa Sasamala John Chakwera Magufuli Tafadzwa M Chikaonda Charlie Companyero Mzika Ya Malawi Maxwell Phewa Esthnart Sukali George Malunda Banda John Kavina Osman Tayub Job Kayira

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