Court fines 15 bar owners for ‘selfish, careless behaviour’ breaking Malawi’s Covid measures

A court in Lilongwe has fined 15 bar owners K20 000 each for failure to close their pubs at 8pm gazetted time.

The Lilongwe Senior  Resident  Magistrate Court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced the bar owners to pay  the fine or in default serve one month imprisonment with hard labour for contravening Covid -19 regulations which is contrary to section 20(2)(a) of the Malawi Public Health Act.

State prosecutors Humphreys Makhalila and Jimmy Kampira told the court that the convicts on January 16, 2021 were found operating  night clubs beyond the time limit set by Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 prevention measures.

Appearing in court, the 15 night club owners pleaded guilty to the charge of contravening covid-19 regulations.

In submission, the state prosecutors asked the court to pass a stiffer punishment to the offenders as a warning to other would-be offenders .

In her ruling, the senior Resident Magistrate Shyreen Yona Chirwa  sentenced the convicts to pay a fine of K20,000 each or in default serve one month imprisonment with hard labour.

The convicts have since paid the fines.