LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Principal Resident Magistrate’s (PRM) Court in Lilongwe has sentenced George Maloto ,52, to eight years Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL) for being found in possession of a live pangolin.
Maloto was arrested on June 13, 2022 at Nathenje when Police detectives pounced on him.
He was offering it for sale, however, the detectives bumped on a tip-off and swiftly raided his territory.
Appearing in Court, Maloto pleaded not guilty to the offence, prompting the state to parade 4 witnesses to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
In her submissions, State Prosecutor Sub Inspector Mary Jonasi of Central West Region Police explained that possession of a pangolin is a serious offence, attracting a maximum penalty of 30 yrs IHL.
Said Prosecutor Jonasi: “Your worship, I pray to this honourable Court to mete out a stiffer punishment. The culprit had planned to commit the crime by putting the animal in a laptop bag which is a bad environment”.
She also argued that the convict is a threat to Wildlife through such malpractice of listed species and dealing with Government trophy, enshrined in the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 2017, as amended.
In his ruling, PRM Rhodrick Michongwe concurred with the State Prosecutor and quashed the convict’s mitigation for leniency, hence slapping an 8yr IHL sentence.
The culprit George Maloto, hails from Mandala village, Traditional Authority Kalumbu (T.A) in Lilongwe district.
