A 30-year-old man in Malawi has been sentenced to pay a fine of K300, 000 or serve 36 months in prison for being found in possession of 120 bluegum timbers without a permit.
Ganizani Abinala was using a vehicle with registration number MHG 8627 to transport the timbers along the Muloza-Limbe road when he was apprehended.
The state prosecutor, Sub-Inspector Gladstone Kanyezi, told the court that the incident occurred in the Chitakale Forest in Mulanje.
Abinala pleaded guilty to the charge, leading the state to call for a harsher sentence to deter potential offenders.
The Senior Resident Magistrate, Shahida Hanif Bakali, also ordered that the timber be forfeited to the Malawi government.
At the moment, Abinala has not yet paid the fine, and he hails from Muchongwe Village in Traditional Authority Machinjiri, Blantyre District.
