Court adjourns hearing of defense in MK53m wildlife crime involving Zambian national
The Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe adjourned to 3 June, 2022 hearing of the defence in the MK53 million wildlife crime involving Zambian national, Kelby Roy Malambo.
The court made the adjournment after the defence, on Friday, argued that they were communicated at a short notice, hence they were unable to secure the attendance of their witnesses on that day.
Malambo started defending himself on 8 March, 2022, a development that inspired hope among concerned parties that the case may now be heading towards its conclusion.
The court found him with a case to answer in September 2021 after he was arrested in February that year.
Malambo was found with 22 pieces of raw ivory, weighing 64.905 kilograms valued at about MK53 million at Mwami Border Total Filling Station in Mchinji in February 2021, which led to his arrest.
He faces three charges, which include; 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.
But in his defence on 8 March, Malambo gave an account which, among others, points to facts that he 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.
