By Michael Chiotcha
Balaka First Grade Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered three Congolese nationals and a Tanzanian national to pay a fine of K25,000 each or in default to serve nine months imprisonment with hard labour for failing to produce passports or legal documents.
According to Balaka police deputy spokesperson Sergeant Precious Makuta, the four are identified as Vincent Echoo, Hafashmana Odeta, Edson Maloya from Democratic Republic of Congo and Shukulani Mauwa from Tanzania.
The court heard through Sub inspector Lyson Kachikondo that the four people – two men and two women – who are claiming to be couples were staying at Mbera trading centre in Balaka without legal documents and were operating their small-scale businesses of bar and selling Mandasi.
Police had joint operation together with officers from immigration and National Intelligence Service during the night of 24th to 25th May, 2021 where they managed to arrest the four.
First Grade Magistrate Philip Chibwana found the four guilty and ordered them to pay a fine of K25,000 each or in default to serve nine months imprisonment with hard labour.
