By REBECCA  MUSHOTA –

A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Egyptian has been fined K12, 000 by a Kitwe magistrate’s court for trading without a permit.
Mahmoud Rabie Aly Ghattas was tried and convicted in a Kitwe magistrate’s court for trading without a licence contrary to section 54 of the Immigration and Deportation Act number 18 of 2010.
According to a statement released by Immigration Department public relations officer, Namati Nshinka, Ghattas was arrested on June 11, 2014 in Riverside after being found trading in carpets and pots from a car.
Mr Nshinka said Ghattas was taken to court where he was charged K12,000, a fine he has since paid.
The convict’s merchandise was forfeited to the State.
In a related development, a magistrate’s court in Kitwe convicted and sentenced a Tanzanian to a fine of K 5,000 or in default eight months simple imprisonment for unlawful stay.
A magistrate’s court in Chililabombwe also on Wednesday, July 9, this year convicted and sentenced two Chinese to a fine of K 2,000 each or in default three months simple imprisonment for unlawful entry.
“The duo was arrested on June 30, 2014 for using “Jetons” which is an equivalent of a border pass.
“A border pass is issued to a citizen who does not hold a passport and who resides around a border area and allows the holder to travel at least to the nearest border town. The duo has since been removed from the country upon payment of the court fine,” Mr Nshinka said.
Mr Nshinka said the Immigration Department was cautioning foreigners in Zambia to desist from engaging in activities in breach of the Immigration and Deportation Act number 18 of 2010 such as trading without immigration permits as they would be prosecuted.
He said members of the public should also report foreigners engaging in door to door trading of various goods to the nearest Immigration office because that was not allowed.