Court Slapped Radio Maria Guard 8 Years Imprisonment For Being Mastermind Of Theft

Principal Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe on Tuesday 19 March 2024 has convicted and sentenced a Radio Maria Malawi security guard to spend 8 year in prison for being a mastermind of radio’s theft.

A convict identified as Geoffrey Josaam was involved in theft along with his accomplice, Chiyipila Nsato, stole assorted radio equipment.

State Prosecutor Assistant Superintendent Davison Banda told the court that during the night of 19 February 2024, Josaam and Nsato broke into a container belonging to Radio Maria Malawi in Lilongwe’s Area 43 Township where various studio items valued at K90 million were stolen in a well-organized crime.

In mitigation, the first convict, Josaam, pleaded with the court that he was a first-time offender and that he had lost all the benefits as well as his job.

On his part, the second convict, prayed for leniency, saying he was his family’s sole breadwinner and that he did not waste the court’s time having pleaded guilty.

But the state prosecutor quashed the mitigation factors, saying the offence of breaking is a serious crime that attracts a maximum sentence of 10 years.

He further told the court that the Catholic-established community radio has suffered great loss since the property recovered was very minimal.

Banda also emphasized that Radio Maria Malawi listeners have equally been dealt a heavy blow as there were great expectations that the station was on course to set up a new studio in Lilongwe as its headquarters by the end of August 2024.

In his ruling, Principal Resident Magistrate Roderick Michongwe concurred with the state, underlining that it is a great setback to the radio as it has to source extra finances to replace the other unrecovered stolen property.

Michongwe later let the wheels of justice play their part by convicting and sentencing the duo to eight years IHL respectively with the sentences starting on the day of their arrest.

Source:TWR Malawi