A 46-year-old man has been fined K4 million for possessing and selling petroleum products without authorisation from the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA).
Andrew Mwandira, from Mswamphira Village, Traditional Authority Mabulabo in Mzimba District, was convicted by the Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting in Lilongwe on two counts under the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act.
The court heard that on November 5, 2026, at around 11am in Chinsapo, Lilongwe, Mwandira was found with 600 litres of petrol and 375 litres of diesel, valued at K5,570,025, without a permit, licence or authorisation from MERA.
He was also found guilty of failing to comply with a lawful requirement made by the regulatory authority.
In a ruling delivered at 2pm, Resident Magistrate Precious Kondowe sentenced Mwandira to a K2 million fine on the first count, with 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour in default.
He received another K2 million fine on the second count, with a further 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour in default.
The court further ordered that the forfeited fuel be distributed to the Malawi Police Service and the Judiciary.
The case was prosecuted by MERA counsel Clement Ng’ambi, with the conviction reinforcing the legal consequences of storing and selling petroleum products without the regulator’s authorisation.
Andrew Mwandira, from Mswamphira Village, Traditional Authority Mabulabo in Mzimba District, was convicted by the Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting in Lilongwe on two counts under the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act.
The court heard that on November 5, 2026, at around 11am in Chinsapo, Lilongwe, Mwandira was found with 600 litres of petrol and 375 litres of diesel, valued at K5,570,025, without a permit, licence or authorisation from MERA.
He was also found guilty of failing to comply with a lawful requirement made by the regulatory authority.
In a ruling delivered at 2pm, Resident Magistrate Precious Kondowe sentenced Mwandira to a K2 million fine on the first count, with 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour in default.
He received another K2 million fine on the second count, with a further 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour in default.
The court further ordered that the forfeited fuel be distributed to the Malawi Police Service and the Judiciary.
The case was prosecuted by MERA counsel Clement Ng’ambi, with the conviction reinforcing the legal consequences of storing and selling petroleum products without the regulator’s authorisation.
