The Malawi Police Service and the Judiciary are set to benefit from fuel confiscated from a Chinsapo man convicted of illegally storing and selling petroleum products without authorisation from the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA).
The fuel, comprising 600 litres of petrol and 375 litres of diesel valued at K5.5 million, was seized from Andrew Mwandira, 46, after he was found operating without a permit, licence or authorisation.
The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting in Lilongwe ordered that the forfeited fuel be distributed between the two public institutions following Mwandira’s conviction on two counts under the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act.
Mwandira, from Mswamphira Village, Traditional Authority Mabulabo in Mzimba, was arrested on November 5, 2026, at Chinsapo in Lilongwe, where he was found in possession of the petroleum products.
In his ruling delivered at 2pm, Resident Magistrate Precious Kondowe fined him K2 million for failing to comply with a lawful requirement made by MERA and another K2 million for storing and selling petroleum products without authorisation.
The court further ordered that failure to pay each fine would attract 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The case was prosecuted by MERA counsel Clement Ng’ambi, with the conviction highlighting the legal consequences of conducting fuel business outside the regulatory framework.
The distribution of the confiscated fuel to the Police and Judiciary adds another dimension to the case, as products seized from an unauthorised fuel operation will now be put under the custody of public institutions.
The fuel, comprising 600 litres of petrol and 375 litres of diesel valued at K5.5 million, was seized from Andrew Mwandira, 46, after he was found operating without a permit, licence or authorisation.
The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting in Lilongwe ordered that the forfeited fuel be distributed between the two public institutions following Mwandira’s conviction on two counts under the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act.
Mwandira, from Mswamphira Village, Traditional Authority Mabulabo in Mzimba, was arrested on November 5, 2026, at Chinsapo in Lilongwe, where he was found in possession of the petroleum products.
In his ruling delivered at 2pm, Resident Magistrate Precious Kondowe fined him K2 million for failing to comply with a lawful requirement made by MERA and another K2 million for storing and selling petroleum products without authorisation.
The court further ordered that failure to pay each fine would attract 15 months’ imprisonment with hard labour.
The case was prosecuted by MERA counsel Clement Ng’ambi, with the conviction highlighting the legal consequences of conducting fuel business outside the regulatory framework.
The distribution of the confiscated fuel to the Police and Judiciary adds another dimension to the case, as products seized from an unauthorised fuel operation will now be put under the custody of public institutions.
