Court Orders Deportation of Zimbabwean Who Faked Malawi ID and Passport
Malawi – A Zimbabwean national has been fined and ordered deported by the Blantyre Central Magistrate Court after admitting to fraudulently obtaining a Malawian passport and national ID.
The accused, 22-year-old Daryl Berry Edwards, pleaded guilty to both charges, which stemmed from an attempt to renew a forged passport last week.
The case unfolded on June 27, when Edwards visited the Immigration Headquarters in Blantyre seeking to renew a Malawian passport he had fraudulently acquired in 2010.
During standard verification procedures, officials detected inconsistencies, which led to the discovery that he had also secured a Malawian National Identity Card using false information.
According to court records, Edwards was intercepted during the interview and handed over to the Immigration Compliance Unit.
Investigations confirmed that he was born in Zimbabwe to Zimbabwean parents, making him ineligible for Malawian citizenship.
He was charged with two counts: providing false information to obtain a national ID, in breach of Section 43(a) of the National Registration Act, and making a false declaration to obtain a passport, contrary to Section 327 of the Penal Code.
He appeared before the court on Wednesday, July 3, and pleaded guilty to all charges.
The prosecution requested a strong sentence, citing the need to deter similar abuses of Malawi’s civil documentation system.
As Malawi 24 reported, Magistrate Akya Mwanyongo fined Edwards K130,000 and ordered the cancellation of his illegally obtained documents.
The court also directed his immediate deportation upon settlement of the fine.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Memory Gongwa confirmed that Edwards had paid the fine and was set to be deported to Zimbabwe on Friday, July 4.
However, by press time, there was no official confirmation on whether the deportation had taken place.
