TWO MEN have been fined K 2,500 each by the Vubwi Magistrate Court for allegedly smuggling 1,000 by 25 kilogramme bags of mealie meal in Vubwi District.
Appearing before Magistrate Pauline Mulenga on Tuesday was Masauso Tembo, a driver of a truck registration number NU 978 and Austin Banda, a lorry mate who were found with 1,000 bags of mealie meal along the Chigwe-Vubwi road.
Particulars of the offence are that on April 9th this year around 21:30 hours whilst acting together the duo allegedly carried the commodity while heading to Manota area near Malawi.
Upon reaching Msengeledzi primary school, the duo found a check point mounted by Zambia National Service (ZNS)who are part of taskforce on smuggling of maize and maize product.
The duo later after interrogation, admitted to officers that they wanted to smuggle the mealie meal into Malawi.
In mitigation, the two pleaded with the court to exercise maximum on them as they were the first offenders.
But passing ruling, Magistrate Mulenga said the offence committed by the two was rampant in the country.
She however convicted the two to pay a fine of K 2,500 each by April 25th or in default three months simple imprisonment.
Magistrate Mulenga said the mealie meal should be forfeited to the state.
And Patriotic Front(PF) Petauke District Youth Chairperson Jay Emmanuel Banda pleaded not guilty to two counts of assaulting Post Correspondent Peter Sukwa and his counterpart for Feel Free Radio station Kelvin Phiri.
Ms Mulenga adjourned the matter to May 17th for commencement of trial in the assault case.
In the same court, Magistrate Moses Phiri adjourned the defence in the case involving PF Vubwi District Michael Tembo to May 5th.
What penalty does the law suggest for smuggling? This does seem to be deterrent for such crimes. Imprisonment even for 1 day, whether simple or with hard labour could have sent a deterrent message to would be offenders but not Ka 2 Pin 5. “In mitigation, the two pleaded with the court to exercise maximum on them as they were the first offenders.” The crime is wide spread countrywide and these can’t be first offenders. All the buses heading into border towns are always laden with bags of mealie-meal ready for smuggling and we accept lame excuse of being first offenders for someone committing malicious damage to the nation.
Report(ing) is wrong, they were not ‘THE first offenders’ but simply were ‘first offenders’. Then again ‘first offender’ does not mean you are the FIRST PERSON EVER to have committed that particular crime, but that you have committed the crime for the FIRST TIME EVER…
Mwebantu napapata…
1000 bags of the mealie-meal was forfeited to the state that’s why the sentencing was that small bambo besides, ba magistrate Mulenga is ba mbuya ba Banda, simply and jus like; 1+1….
lol Nkope ati ba magistrate Mulenga is ba mbuya ba Banda, simply and jus like; 1+1…. yaba
True Zambian. I totally agree with. At first I thought I read wrong. Some fines should send a very strong message to others. With that K2,500 what message does it send. For me the only message it send is.. “I tell to pay K2, 500 in court and you give K15, 000 each later and I will not send you to jail.”
Actually, whatever the cost of 1,000 bags of 25kg maize flour cost plus the fine of K5,000 for the two, can be over K65,000. Assuming each bag cost K60, that was forefeited to government. That is some money.
I wonder how some people cannot see the forfeiture of the smuggled items as being part of the punishment. The bigger the contraband…