Reported by Innocent Mvundula
A Lilongwe-based Principal Resident Magistrate Court has handed down a two-year prison sentence to Joward Chagoma, a 30-year-old man found guilty of tampering with products owned by Yellow Solar. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Chagoma to pay a K2 million fine or face an additional two years in prison for the second count of unlawfully disabling a computer system.
The court’s decision comes after Chagoma admitted to damaging solar products sold by Yellow Solar to customers on a pay-as-you-go basis. Although Chagoma pleaded guilty to two charges, he pleaded for leniency during mitigation, citing his dependents, including his wife and elderly parents.
However, the court ruled that the gravity of Chagoma’s offenses outweighed the mitigating factors presented. Responding to the ruling, Yellow Solar CEO Michael Heyink stated that “these court rulings will uphold justice for those who undermine Malawians’ rights to access electricity.” He also encouraged customers to be on the lookout for criminals engaging in similar activities.
Lilongwe-Malawi