Court orders ACB to provide missing K4bn Cashgate file in Kalonga case: Given 72 hours

The High Court in Lilongwe has ordered the Anti Corruption Bureau  (ACB) to produce and surrender copies of documents ceased from Cashgate convict and former deputy director for tourism Leonard Kalonga within 72 hours which Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mary Kachale said has names of beneficiaries of K4.4 billion ($5.8 million) Cashgate proceeds.

Kachale: In the interest of justice
Kachale: In the interest of justice

Justice Fiona Mwale made the order after an application from Kachale, who is the joint leading top prosecutor with ACB deputy director general Reyneck Matemba.

The missing document is said to have been found at  Kalonga’s house by ACB investigators who searched his house in 2013.

On August 26 last year, the High Court convicted Kalonga on his own plea of guilty for stealing K3.7 billion ($4.9 million) in the ongoing Cashgate trials.

Kachale applied to the court to order the graft-busting body to release documents  in the interest of justice .

She  told the court that the documents has a distribution list of the looted money and detailing how cashgate  was shared.

Judge Mwale ordered the ACB to produce all documents they seized at Karonga’s office or house especially the ones in Blue and purple plastic bag to the court within 72 hours.

“I grant this order under very strict conditions,” said Judge Mwale.

She said the conditions are that ACB  should produce the documents “within 72 hours” and that if the bureau doesn’t have the documents the Officer In Charge and Property Control Officer must swear an affidavit to the court within 72 hours and that the two shall be cross examined by both the state and the defence in the court when it resume hearing.

The judge warned that of the order is not respected, the ACB will be “in contempt of court.”

ACB deputy director general Matemba said he was aware of the referred document.

Kalonga’s lawyer Emmanuel Theu said he supported the application.

The case has since been adjourned to Wednesday 22nd June 2016

The shooting on September 13 2013 of then Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo outside the gate of his Area 43 house in Lilongwe led to revelations of the plunder of resources.

Former president Joyce Banda ordered an audit which British forensic auditor, Baker Tilly, undertook covering the period between April and September 2013 and established that about K24 billion ($31.8 million) was siphoned from public coffers through dubious payments, inflated invoices and goods or services not rendered.

In May 2014, a financial analysis report by audit and business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also established that about K577 billion ($765.3 million) in public funds could not be reconciliated for the period between 2009 and December 31 2014.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!

Follow us in Twitter
4 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tysom Owami
Tysom Owami
7 years ago

Ryneck Matemba is becoming ACB bottleneck, his contract is needed to get terminated forthwith

Vyamtonda
7 years ago

ACB is about to burst la 40 lakwana

kkilembe
kkilembe
7 years ago

Mob justice is good justice.

Imraan Sadick
7 years ago
Reply to  kkilembe

I agree

Read previous post:
Malawi political bedfellows and foes unite at Atupele Muluzi grandmother’s funeral

Mourners from across the political divide come together at T/A Masula in Lilongwe to pay tribute of honour to Gogo...

Close