Malawi court orders Indian pay K10m in default serve 10 years jail for illegal currency, ivory keeping

A Blantyre magistrates court has sentenced a Malawian of Indian extraction to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour or pay a fine of K10 million for being found with foreign currency and ivory in his house without permission.

Magistrate Peter Kandulu has since ordered that the US$14, 000 which was found in the house of Sanjay Vashan and 14.8kg of ivory worth K22.8 million be forfeited to the state.

Police prosecutor Christopher Katani told the court that law enforcers were tipped that the convict kept the foreign currency and the ivory in his house and on April 11, 2017 they arrested the suspect after searching the house where they found the money and the ivory.

They told the court that the money was realized from ivory trading which Vashan was engaged but illegal under the laws of Malawi.

Katani prayed for stiff punishment, saying the ivory trade was damaging the wildlife in the country and forcing elephants into extinction.

The state brought 10 witnesses who testified against the convict whilst defense lawyer Chimwemwe Kalua brought in three witnesses.

Magistrate Kandulu then ordered that Vashan serves 10 years in jail or pay K10 million fine for the ivory case and he pays K150, 000 fine or serves two and half years in jail for keeping foreign currency illegally in his house.