Zambian National Gets 15 Years Prison Sentence in MK53 Million Wildlife
Crime (Malawi)
Naomi Mkwanda, Nyasa Times via AllAfrica
December 2, 2022
Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda on Thursday, December 1st
2022, sentenced Zambian national Kelby Roy Malambo to 15 years imprisonment
with hard labour for the three charges he faced in the MK53m wildlife crime
case involving elephant ivory.
Magistrate Nyirenda, sitting in Lilongwe, gave Malambo 15 years for each of
the three counts. The sentences will run concurrently.
The charges Malambo faced were; being found in possession of specimen of
listed species, dealing in government trophy and importing specimen of
listed species without producing to a customs officer a valid permit.
All those offences are contrary to the National Parks and Wildlife Act of
2017.
Passing the sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Nyirenda said the evidence
that the state tendered in court was befitting of the sentence.
He added the offense was well planned, the convict used uncharted routes
and involved a syndicate, among other mischiefs.
He further ordered that the 22 pieces of ivory, Malambo was found with, be
forfeited to Malawi Government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
State prosecutor, Levison Mangani, said he was happy with the sentence as
there was too much ivory involved. He added the sentence will deter other
would-be-offenders.
Malambo, whose case dragged for over a year, was found with 22 pieces of
raw ivory, weighing 64.905 kilograms and valued at about MK53 million. He
was arrested at Mwami Border Total Filling Station in Mchinji in February,
2021.
During defense, Malambo, in a futile bid to be exonerated, paraded himself
and two other Zambian witnesses.
All of them--Malambo, Moses Richard and Kylian Mulumba--gave a similar
account, that: "Malambo was not the owner of the items, that he was just
asked to bring the items to Malawi and that he did not even know the items
because they were sealed in sack bags".
Malambo, 47, comes from Livingstone City in Monze District in Zambia.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202212020445.html
Zambian National Gets 15 Years Prison Sentence in MK53 Million Wildlife
Crime (Malawi)
Naomi Mkwanda, Nyasa Times via AllAfrica
December 2, 2022
Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda on Thursday, December 1st
2022, sentenced Zambian national Kelby Roy Malambo to 15 years imprisonment
with hard labour for the three charges he faced in the MK53m wildlife crime
case involving elephant ivory.
Magistrate Nyirenda, sitting in Lilongwe, gave Malambo 15 years for each of
the three counts. The sentences will run concurrently.
The charges Malambo faced were; being found in possession of specimen of
listed species, dealing in government trophy and importing specimen of
listed species without producing to a customs officer a valid permit.
All those offences are contrary to the National Parks and Wildlife Act of
2017.
Passing the sentence, Senior Resident Magistrate Nyirenda said the evidence
that the state tendered in court was befitting of the sentence.
He added the offense was well planned, the convict used uncharted routes
and involved a syndicate, among other mischiefs.
He further ordered that the 22 pieces of ivory, Malambo was found with, be
forfeited to Malawi Government's Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
State prosecutor, Levison Mangani, said he was happy with the sentence as
there was too much ivory involved. He added the sentence will deter other
would-be-offenders.
Malambo, whose case dragged for over a year, was found with 22 pieces of
raw ivory, weighing 64.905 kilograms and valued at about MK53 million. He
was arrested at Mwami Border Total Filling Station in Mchinji in February,
2021.
During defense, Malambo, in a futile bid to be exonerated, paraded himself
and two other Zambian witnesses.
All of them--Malambo, Moses Richard and Kylian Mulumba--gave a similar
account, that: "Malambo was not the owner of the items, that he was just
asked to bring the items to Malawi and that he did not even know the items
because they were sealed in sack bags".
Malambo, 47, comes from Livingstone City in Monze District in Zambia.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202212020445.html
