Eswatini court sentences 84 foreign nationals in illegal online gambling case
The group received six-month prison terms or the option to pay a fine of E500 (US$31) each under the Immigration Act, with deportation to follow.
Eswatini.- An Eswatini court has sentenced 84 foreign nationals arrested in connection with an alleged illegal online gambling operation in Mbabane. The group received six-month prison terms or the option to pay a fine of E500 (US$31) each under the Immigration Act, with the court ordering that they remain in custody pending deportation regardless of whether fines are paid.
The arrests stem from a police raid earlier this year at Castle Hotel in Mbabane, where law enforcement officers and immigration officials detained foreign nationals suspected of operating unlicensed online gambling activities.
Investigators seized computers, laptops and other electronic equipment believed to have been used in the operation. Authorities later reported that many of those arrested were in the country without the required immigration documentation.
According to Times of Eswatini, 79 of the accused faced two immigration charges, while five faced one count each. During sentencing, the defendants reportedly apologised to Eswatini authorities and requested leniency from the court. Fikile Nhlabatsi, principal magistrate, imposed the sentences and approved a prosecution request for the group to remain in correctional custody pending deportation.
No date has been set for deportation proceedings to be completed.
Meanwhile, investigators have linked the wider operation to a transnational fraud network allegedly operating across Brazil, Indonesia and other jurisdictions. The case remains the most significant enforcement action in Eswatini’s crackdown on illegal gambling and related financial crimes.
