Lesotho’s Magistrate Court has sentenced George Akolgo of Ghana, aged 34, to five years imprisonment or pay a fine of M5,000.00 for contravening the provisions of Lesotho’s Passports and Travel Documents Act of 1998.
The court suspended half of the sentence for a year on condition that he did not commit a similar offense.
Evidence indicated that the convict who presently stays at Lower Thamae in the capital Maseru was found in possession of a Ghanaian passport endorsed with a fraudulent Lesotho residence permit at the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) headquarters on Wednesday.
The convict pleaded guilty and in mitigation, he pleaded to the court to show mercy on him, saying he did not intend to commit the crime and that he had a family in Lesotho.
Delivering reasons for judgment, Magistrate ’Mampho Mokoena said forging a passport was a serious crime. Therefore, the convict deserved a heavy sentence that would deter him from committing such a crime again.
Source African Press Agency
