Ganizani Rodgers (44) was on August 9, 2018 convicted and sentenced by the Mchinji first grade magistrate’s court to 24 months IHL for fraudulently transferring 9 people to Zambia for the purpose of exploitation.
He was answering 9 counts of trafficking in persons, contrary to section 14(1) of the Trafficking in Persons Act.
The victims were coming from villages under Traditional Authority Mazengera in Lilongwe and had 12 young children of the ages between 2 years and 8 years.
Before the sentence was slashed, the court heard through police prosecutor Sergeant Chipiliro Kalimira that the police were working on a tip-off that the convict who resides in Zambia where he has been working as a casual labourer, on August 8, 2018 at about 1130 hours at Mchinji boma was transferring the said people to Zambia to work in a tobacco farm. The convict together with the victims got intercepted as they were about to board a motor vehicle to Mkanda in transit to Zambia. Kalimira further told the court that the convict was given MK50,000.00 by his employer, Mr Kamanga (a Zambian national) who has a tobacco farm at Mafuta village in Zambia to look for Malawians to work in his farm.
The convict pleaded guilty to the charges, and asked for leniency as he is responsible for his family, didn’t know that he was committing an offence and that it was his first time to be in conflict with the law .
Upon conviction, Sergeant Chipiliro Kalimira told the court that despite the convict being a first offender, an immediate custodial sentence would be appropriate as the offence committed is serious in nature as it is seen with the punishment attached to it.
The prosecutor further told the court that the convict took advantage of the financial misfortunes of the victims, hence planned to commit the offence.
In his determination, First Grade Magistrate His Worship Arthur Mtalimanja agreed with the state and also took into consideration
Source:Mana
