Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Mangochi on Monday has ordered two convicts to pay K9,000 fine, and 18 others to pay K5,000 fine for failing to wear face mask contravening Section 20(3) of Public Health Act (Corona virus and COVID-19 prevention rules and regulations of 2020).
According to Mangochi Police Publicist Roderick Maida, the 20 were arrested on Monday during the Police COVID-19 rule enforcement exercise.
Appearing before court, all the 39 suspects
pleaded guilty to the charges leveled against them prompting the court to fine them as a punishment.
Convicts asked court for forgiveness as they cannot afford to pay fine whilst the state prayed for stiffer sentence to deter others.
Passing the sentence Senior Resident Magistrate Joshua Nkhono concurred with the state saying despite government’s efforts to protect its citizens from the pandemic, some have chosen to deliberately not to comply.
He therefore handed down the fine sentences or one month imprisonment in default.
Out of 20 convicts 14 are men whilst 6 are women.
