2 arrested in MRA K10m bribery, granted court bail

Malawi Police in collaboration Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB)   arrested three businessmen who were attempting to bribe a manager at Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA)  with K10 million to misplace  a case file  on tax evasion and they have since been granted bail.

ACB   spokesperson Egrita Ndala said the three were arrested last Thursday and identified them as  Kashmir Gilbert, Abbas Nasser and Youssef Abdul Khalil Nassour.

Ndala said Gilbert and Nasser were assisting Abdul Khalil to corruptly give the MRA manager K10 million  after allegedly facilitating a meeting.

ACB says the three had travelled to Blantyre from Lilongwe for the intended mission but the MRA manager had already alerted his fellow senior officers who in turn alerted the Police and the ACB.

When the money was handed over, the Police and the ACB arrested the trio. The ACB then recovered the said K10 million.

The trio applied for bail on Monday and First Grade Magistrate Court in Blantyre on Wednesday released them.

Magistrate Tsoka Banda said there was need for the State to prove beyond reasonable doubt  that the trio must be kept in detention.

Nassour, who is the first accused, is also answering another case of tax evasion at the Lilongwe Magistrate Court has been given a condition  not to leave Lilongwe without the consent of the Commissioner of Police.

The other suspects  were ordered to be reporting to police fortnightly, produce a bail bond of K500 000 cash, produce a surety worth K500 000 and surrender their travel documents.