Twenty-year-old Jimmy Twisawi was told by the Nkunkhula First Grade Magistrate’s Court in Dowa he could pay K5 million or serve 48 months behind bars, after being convicted of having sex with a minor. Furious activist Amos Chibwana blasted the decision, demanding to know how such crimes could end in a fine rather than bars. “Since when did courts start slapping convicts with serious crimes, such as rape and defilement with fines?” “Imagine, a defilement case is reduced to a K5 million fine or 48 months IHL, this is ridiculous. The row is set to reignite fierce debate over soft sentencing in Malawi’s lower courts, with campaigners demanding answers on why cash appears to be trumping justice.