The Mzuzu Senior Resident Magistrate Court has sentenced 52 Ethiopians to four months imprisonment with hard labor for entering Malawi without travel documents, contravening section 21 (1) of the Immigration Act.
The court heard that Immigration Officers arrested the convicts on 19 March 2024 around the Mkombezi area in Rumphi district during night patrols while hiding inside the back of a 20-tonner lorry belonging to Skylight Logistics whose registration number is NE 9315.
In his submission, Immigration Department State Prosecutor, Inspector Bright Matemba narrated to the court the rising cases of illegal immigrants who are just entering the country through uncharted routes, urging the court to hand them a stiff punishment as a warning to would-be offenders
Additionally, the State Prosecutor lobbied the court to apply section 10 of the Immigration Act that says someone being deported from Malawi has to meet the costs.
Passing the judgment, Senior Resident Magistrate Ashford Harawa convicted all 52 Ethiopians to 4 months of Imprisonment with Labour each without an option of a fine.
The court also ordered that at the expiry of the sentence, each convict should be deported from Malawi using his costs as per Section 10 of the Malawi Immigration Act.
Additionally, the Court ordered the Minister of Homeland Security to deport the convicts after serving their sentences under section 39 of the Immigration Act.
In a related development, the Mzuzu Senior Resident Magistrate Court has convicted 28 Ethiopians who were arrested on 8 March 2024 at Madise area in Mzimba district for contravening Section 21(1) of the Immigration Act.
Immigration State Prosecutor, Inspector Matemba lobbied for a custodial sentence to be given to the offenders rather than a fine.
On 21 March 2024, His Worship Robert Makaika found the 28 Ethiopians guilty of illegal entry offenses, and a 3-month prison sentence with hard labor was suspended.
The court additionally made a recommendation to the Minister of Homeland Security to issue deportation orders to all 28 Ethiopians within 2 months.
According to Section 4 sub-section 1(f) of the Malawi Immigration Act, all 70 Ethiopians are Prohibited Immigrants in the country.
Sergeant Francis Chitambuli, who is the Northern Region Immigration Department Public Relations Officer, confirmed this and said all the convicted Ethiopians are currently being held at Mzuzu Prison awaiting completion of their 4 months jail term each before being deported back to their country.
