The Chipata Magistrate Court has released two Indian nationals, who were charged with failure to declare over 466 United States Dollars at Mwami Boarder, after finding them with no case to answer.
Principal Resident Magistrate, Humphrey Chitalu, found Patel Ues Abid, 24 and Varagi Salim Yusuf, 42, with no case to answer in a ruling that took close to three hours.
This is in a matter in which Patel Ues Abid, 24 and Varagi Salim Yusuf, 42, are charged with failure to declare currency at Mwami border on July 26th, 2019.
It is alleged that the two concealed 466, 990 United States dollars on a vehicle as they tried to cross Mwami Border.
In the second count, the accused were found in possession of property believed to be proceeds of crime and failure to declare currency.
But in his ruling magistrate Chitalu noted that the accused were apprehended before crossing the border into Zambia from Malawi.
He noted that the prosecution told the court that the accused told the people, who were manning the gates of the border to open.
He, however, wondered why the people who were manning the gate where not brought to testify in the matter.
Magistrate Chitalu said there was commotion at the border when the incident occurred and that this would have led the foreigners not to fill the money declaration form.
He noted that the foreigners were not given the gate pass to cross into Zambia and as such, the process was not concluded.
The state has up to December 17th, 2019 to appeal the matter or not.
The two Indian nationals are represented by Chipata lawyer, John Phiri of JMP Associates.