Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court has convicted 35 people for entering into a protected area without authority, contrary to Section 32 (1) as read with Section 110 (1) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act.
The convicts were charged with six counts of various offences after they were caught cutting down 240,000 mopane trees worth above K20 billion in Lengwe National Park in November last year.
In the first count, 24 of the accused were charged with illegal entry contrary to Section 21 (1) as read with Section 37 of the Immigration Act for entering into Malawi without permit on or about November 1 and 2 2016.
In the second count, all the 35 were charged with entering into a protected area without authority while in the third count, all the 35 were charged with smuggling contrary to Section 134 as read with Section 142 (1) of the Customs and Exercise Act for bringing into Malawi (Lengwe National Park) six tractors, two folk lifters, one truck horse and trailer, a Toyota Hilux twin cab, four motorcycles, a Toyota Land Cruiser bearing Mozambican registration numbers without proper supporting documents.
The other charges included conveying, possessing and using prohibited weapons in a protected area contrary to Section 33(1) as read with Section 110 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act as well as unlawfully disturbing indigenous species in a protected area contrary to Section 35 (a) as read with Section 110 (d) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act.
In the sixth count, Harry Lucio and Haston Laiva were charged with preparing land for cultivation in a protected area without consent.
After hearing evidence on the charges, Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate Thom Ligowe passed his judgment on Monday.
Twenty-three of the convicts are Mozambicans, two are Chinese nationals while the rest are Malawians
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