Lawyer for DPP’s Makondi ask for ‘ample time’ to respond to ACB in corruption case

Lawyer Chancy Gondwe representing businessman and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) national organising secretary Richard Makondi  in the application for leave of judicial review of his corruption case, on Tuesday requested for ample time to respond to issues raised by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Gondwe made the request at the High Court in Blantyre at the start of the  hearing  of a case as he told the court the State served him court documents late  and needs to go through them before making his response.

Lawyer representing ACB, Kamudoni Nyasulu, did not object to Gondwe’s request, saying indeed the documents were served late on Makondi’s lawyer because initially it was served on lawyer Lusungu Gondwe who used to the counsel of Makondi and the bureau only realised Monday  that “they were wrongly served.”

Judge Healy Potani adjourned the case to April 4.

Makondi has been under probe by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for his rols in supplying 35 vehicles and other accessories worth K895 million to Malawi Defence Force (MDF) in 2013.

In April last year, Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda granted Makondi  an order restraining the bureau from effecting a warrant of arrest and also prosecuting them but ACB filed a notice of appeal and grounds of appeal challenging the stay.

And in January this year, the High Court has granted Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) an order identifying documents for the appeal case involving  Makondi.

ACB questioned Makondi in January 2017 in connection to allegations of abuse of office when he was at Toyota Malawi after he allegedly negotiated the procurement deal, which is said to have cost government K215 million in a deal whose contract was signed by then MDF’s Clement Kafuwa and former Toyota Malawi managing director Rosemary Mkandawire.

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