ACB to start parading witnesses in Mpinganjira case: Court orders trial to commence
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has said it will start parading prosecution witnesses in a case in which business tycoon Thom Mpinganjira is being accused of attempting to bribe Constitutional Court judges.
ACB director Reyneck Matemba said this after the High Court dismissed a fresh application by lawyers for Mpinganjira, led by Patrice Nkhono, who were seeking another adjournment to allow them to proceed with their judicial review application.
Matemba said following the decision by Judge Dorothy De Gabrielle, the case will resume on October 22 2020.
He said the bureau is ready with the prosecution of the case and on October 22 it will parade two of its witnesses.
“We are ready to prosecute the case and two of the witnesses will be ready to testify on October 22,” said Matemba
Among the list of the witnesses for the case are five High Court judges who presided over the elections case.
In January this year, ACB arrested Mpinganjira after Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda complained to the bureau that a business person and a public servant wanted to bribe the five judges who presided over the 2019 presidential election case.
Mpinganjira is answering charges related to attempting to induce High Court judges Mike Tembo and Healey Potani to exercise their functions corruptly by offering them K100 million.
He is also being accused of attempting to induce a public officer to abuse his office by attempting to persuade Tembo and Potani to accept the bribe and rule the election case in favour of former president Peter Mutharika and the Malawi Electoral Commission who were the respondents in the case.
Mpinganjira denies any wrong doing and pleaded not guilty to all counts .
Ok we still waiting