ALEX Coral, a 46-year-old pork-knocker of Lot 604 One Mile Wismar, Linden and Hutus Wilson, his 50-year-old shop owner co-accused, of 755 One Mile Wismar, Linden, were allegedly intercepted with a cache of ammunition and charged and placed before city magistrate Ann McLennan.

They were, however, released on self-bail after the court heard that they were taking the ammunition to the police station because of the gun amnesty programme.

The charge they faced alleged that the duo had 150 rounds of .32 ammunition, 14 twelve-gauge shotgun cartridges and other odd rounds of ammunition without either man being the holder of a firearm licence.

The men denied the charge, and Attorney-at-law Mr. Clyde Forde, representing both defendants, explained that both of his clients are married and have children.

“My clients were on their way to hand over the ‘ammo’ to the police; it was given to them by a Brazilian employer, and they were only taking advantage of the amnesty period to get the illegal items off their hands,” he charged.

Ford revealed that the men were stopped and searched by the police while on their way to the station, and he said that the officer had offered to escort them to the station when the men told the officer what their intentions were.

He said the lawmen charged the men anyway for the possession of ammunition, although the amnesty programme had been established to allow people with illegal guns and ammunition to hand same over to the authorities without facing prosecution.

Magistrate McLennan released the men on self-bail, and ordered them to return to the Mahdia Magistrate’s Court on October 20.

The Ministry of Public Security Gun Amnesty Programme, which provides for persons to hand over unlicensed firearms and ammunition to the authorities without facing prosecution, came into effect on September 1, and will last until the 30th instant. It provides for persons to surrender to the authorities all illegal firearms with no questions being asked, and provides for no prosecution for persons submitting same as part of the gun amnesty.