Stevens Prince Thengo, a man who failed to travel to Israel, is demanding a compensation of K300,000,000.00 from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services for breach of statutory duty, false imprisonment, humiliation and mental anguish over a fake passport he was issued.
Through his lawyer William Chiwaya of John Tennyson, Kawelo & Associates, Thengo said he got a Malawi passport number MWA289222 issued by the Department on 1 June, 2024 at the their Lilongwe offices.
“Our client further informs us that in or around December, 2024, relying on the said passport he planned to travel to Israel for a holiday and consequently booked for air tickets, accommodation and activities in anticipation for the trip. On 24th December, 2024, our client left Malawi via road to Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport where he was to depart for Israel.
“It is our client’s further story that upon arrival in Israel at Ben Gurion Airport on 25th December, 2024, he was told by the Israeli Immigration Officers that his passport was fake as it could not read in their system. Consequently, our client was denied entry into the State of Israel on account of the fake passport issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services.
“On the evening of the same day (25th December, 2024) our client was embarrassingly put on a plane to Lusaka, Zambia. Upon arrival in Zambia, our client was arrested for producing a fake passport and eventually spent two (2) nights in custody. It is our client’s story that he was only released on 28th December, 2024 by the Zambian authorities following the intervention of the Malawi Consulate officials in Zambia and his lawyers both in Malawi and Zambia.
“As an institution with mandate to issue passports, we verily believe that the Department has a statutory duty to issue valid travel documents. It is for this reason that the passports issued by the Department are clearly written and presented as being valid for all countries unless otherwise endorsed. The Department clearly breached its duty in issuing a passport to our client which was not considered to be valid by the Israel Immigration Officers and consequently, our client suffered damage and loss,” reads part of the demand letter copied to the Attorney General Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda.
Among others, the letter said Thengo’s right to liberty was violated as he was detained at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on 25th December, 2024, put on a plane to Zambia where he was put in custody and only released on 28th December, 2024 and he humiliated and his reputation was injured from the point of his detention in Israel.
“The authorities treated him like a fraudster who was using a fake passport and exposed him to ridicule and contempt. Our client lost all his hard-earned money which was used to buy air tickets to and from Israel and for booking accommodation and activities he planned to conduct during his stay in Israel.
“It is from the foregoing that we have instructions and we hereby demand the sum of MK300,000,000.00 (Three Hundred Million Kwacha) in compensation. By copy of this demand letter, the office of the Attorney General should treat this as a notice of intention to sue the Government under Section 4 of the Civil Procedure (Suits By or Against the Government or Public Officers) Act Cap. 6: 01 of the Laws of Malawi in the event that the above demand is not met within the prescribed 90 days from the date hereof,” reads part of the letter
