Court acquits ex-minister Maotcha Banda on theft charges: Lack of evidence

Former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Ellock Maotcha Banda in the DPP administration, Ellock Maotcha Banda, has been acquitted by the First Grade Magistrate Court at Liwonde in Machinga on theft charges for lack of evidence.

Maotcha, 39, was accused of stealing a container used to store irrigation equipment belonging to Father Eugenio Salmaso of Namandanje Roman Catholic Parish in Ntanja, Machinga district.

Inspector Ganizani ,Police Prosecutor, told the court that Maotcha Banda stole the container on January 17 this year at Mbonechera Irrigation Scheme where Father Salmaso is initiating the scheme.

First Grade Magistrate, Jones Masula, however ruled that prosecution failed to prove its case and that the evidence lacked substance.

Another theft

Maotcha Banda also hit headlined November last year when he was  accused of stealing a vehicle valued at K4 million belonging to Namandanje Roman Catholic Parish .

Police said the vehicle, a Ford Ranger registration number MH 5124 belonging to Father Eugenio Salmaso, disappeared after Maotcha had borrowed it from the parish.

The car was later found in Chiwalo Village, T/A Chiwalo, but with its front tyres removed.

Controversial

Maotcha was controversial as he was carrying violent attacks for the DPP  regime.

But he lost his Machinga Central parliemntary seat during 2009 elections.

As a lawmaker, he caused controversy when Salima North MP Uladi Mussa who was making his contribution on the 2008/09 budget statement, asking him to go and  make his presentation kumzikiti (mosque).

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