Ex-Escom bosses Chiwaya, Namandwa plead not guilty to fraud charges
Former Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) chief executive officer (CEO) Allexon Chiwaya and director of human resource and administration Daphter Namandwa have pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of fraud and abuse of office.
The two appeared before Blantyre Magistrate Court after they were arrested in August, 2020.
The abuse of the public resources happened during the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The two are being accused of abuse of office after instructing a transport manager at Escom to hand over a Toyota Hilux registration number BU7249 between April 2019 and July 2020 to DPP officials for use instead if the company itself.
The State is also accusing them of fraud and facts of the charge says the two deceived the finance department to put money in a Puma fuel card between 2018 to 2020 purportedly to be used for Escom public events when in actual sense the card was being used by DPP members for political party purposes.
Chiwaya took plea in the absence of his lawyer Enock Chibwana – a former Ombudsman – who was engaged with another matter at the High Court in Lilongwe.
But Namandwa had no lawyer and indicated that he will approach the Legal Aid Bureau for representation, claiming he cannot afford a private practice attorney.
State prosecutors led by Dzikondianthu Malunda said they were ready to start parade six witnesses on the charge of abuse of office.
The matter has been adjourned to February 26 but the court has since imposed conditions to the bail of the two accused persons following the request from the State.
Among some of the bail conditions the court imposed include that the two must surrender their travel documents, report to the State Advocate offices in Blantyre once a month and surrender a surety worth K200 000.
Kodi ndiye izinso ndiye ziti? Onse a Mcp okuba, onse a UDF okuba, onse a Dpp okuba. This is just the way of Afrikans. All of the para statals in Malawi are actually political cash ventures. A MCP Ayiwala kuti anka ikhana okha okha mu ma company now you want kumusaka Mr. Chiwaya kuti mulowetesepo yanu yosakwana. Fotseki pitani katuseni ma Bumbu a azimanu. A chiten surrender ma passport kuti chani? As if anyamba kuba ndi iyeyo. If people are forefeiting then ayambe cecilia kadzamira. OSATI NYEGAPO NDI YA 2 INCHES. Bring us the real criminals.
Mawa ndiiwowa alilamulira panonu !!!DPP ndi UDF ikubwelera tuuu,kkkkk
Akuoneka anzeru pomwe a Chilima anali konkop osadzudzula bwa.Lero aziti nkhope nhati mdzukula wa swiswili chikopa ngati kapado psyuuu.kkkkk
Political persicution or not, this evil, that the ruling using public and private companies to siphon whatever they need, have to be stamped out! It can’t be an excuse what the former ruler have done! This is corrupt, criminal stealing from all Citizens of this country. There should be no excuse, neither for the ruling nor CEOs, or responsible staff and their boards! All involved should face the law! We need finally upright people in charge with back bone and a servant heart! Not only selfish crooks! Please investigate this case meticulous, not only on ESCOM side, but also on… Read more »
It may be necessary to review and reform how ESCOM operates. Some of the delays in installation of electricity originate from junior staff not senior ones. They deliberately delay installations to make clients become desperate hence indirectly influencing them to bribe them. The Public Sector Reform Programme will be applauded if ESCOM is reformed. This institution needs to learn from Lilongwe Water Board which installs water to its clients within a short time yet ESCOM takes years even when resources are available. How can electricity installation take more than 4 years? Kuyendera kuchita kutopa nako!!! Shameful.
To some degree, I agree with you. See how board members and chairs for parastatals have been appointed. Most of them are inTonse Alliance comrades.
This is not a trial but Political Persecution, Judges and Magistrates please handle these cases with care, as these people you are persecuting did not personally benefit to what ever they are being charged against. This practice started during the first repuplic of MCP under Dr Banda and it never stopped. It was there during UDF under Muluzi, DPP under Bingu, PP under Amai and DPP under Peter. its also also there now under Dr Chakwera, we see Government vehicles being removed Reg nos doing party work for MCP. These people were forced by line Ministers Verbaly, Controllers and Powerful… Read more »
Idiot
So, parastatals should continue ruling party because it started with kamuzu? Why when approached didnt these CEO’s decline. Or even resign if they felt they were being pressured. They are all greedy and this is a good precedent….
People hardly resign in a poor country with scarce resources like Malawi. The scope is so limited.