Tanzanian ‘spies’ get six-month suspended sentence

DAILY NEWS Reporter

EIGHT Tanzanians were at last brought back home yesterday from Malawi where a court slapped them a six-month suspended sentence over trespass.

Information from the Tanzanian High Commission in Malawi said the Tanzanians who had been detained in a Malawi prison accused of trespassing at a uranium mine, were transported yesterday from Mzuzu in Malawi to the two countries’ Songwe/Kasumulu border.

On Wednesday this week, Mzuzu Chief Resident Magistrate Texious Masoamphambe sentenced the eight to one-month imprisonment on criminal trespass and three months imprisonment for conducting reconnaissance.

But, Chief Resident Magistrate Masoamphambe suspended the sentences ‘for six months' rescuing the Tanzanians from the jail term.
“The Tanzanians are not to commit any crime in the stated period of suspended sentence,” said Masoamphambe in his ruling. The magistrate said the Tanzanians had shown remorse after conviction and have been in custody since they were arrested on December 20, last year, around Kayuni Village at Karonga in Malawi.
They include WalasaMwasangu (30), Binto Materinus (32), AshuraYasiri (63), Christian Msoli (38), Layinali Kumba (47), Maliyu Mkobe, Gilbert Mahumdi (32) and Martin Jodomusole (25).
The court in Malawi further directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security to issue removal directives to return the convicts in Tanzania.
The government of Tanzania had been pursuing diplomatic procedures with its Malawian counterpart to secure the release of the team from remand custody in the country over criminal trespass charges.