The Kasungu Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court has sentenced David Shumba to 14 years imprisonment and seven others to 4 years in prison each over counterfeit currency.
According to state prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Peter Njiragoma, the other seven convicts are identified as Filodi Goodson, Ibrahim Makina, Martha Makonde Nyirenda, Lameck Banda, Gerald Banda, Alick Tchuma and Laston Msiska.
Njiragoma told the court that the eight were arrested after a joint operation by Reserve Bank of Malawi investigators and police which revealed that David Shumba was manufacturing counterfeit currency and was using the other seven convicts as agents to distribute the counterfeit notes.
The investigation conducted by RBM investigators and police found the eight convicts with counterfeit K2,000 notes amounting to fake value of K392,000 and US$99,400in fake notes.
In court, the eight pleaded not guilty to the charges of illegal possession of forging banknotes contrary to section 366 of the penal code and being in possession of instruments for forgery contrary to section 374 (b) of the penal code.
The state later paraded four witnesses and after looking at the overwhelming evidence presented in court by the state witnesses, the eight pleaded guilty and were convicted as charged.
In mitigation, the eight convicts pleaded with the court to exercise lenience on them saying they have families to take care of but the prosecution team objected to the mitigating factors saying their conduct had affected the economy of the country.
Passing sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Biar Kamanga cautioned the conduct by the eight convicts saying if left scot free such offences can greatly have a negative impact on the economy of the country.
Kamanga then sentenced David Shumba to 14 years imprisonment as he was the one behind the manufacturing of the counterfeit banknotes while the other seven were slapped with four years in jail.
