A court in Lilongwe has committed to the High Court’s Financial Crimes Division a high profile case involving former senior managers of Malawi Leaf Company suspected to have swindled the company of over K40 billion.
The four former senior managers are alleged to have committed the offence at
the Malawi Leaf Company, a subsidiary of Auction Holdings Limited at Kanengo in Lilongwe between 2012 and 2017.
Dr Matabwa
The four; former General Manager for Malawi Leaf Company, Jimmy Kasamale, former Financial Controller, Francis Madona, former Chief Executive Officer of Auction Holdings Limited, Dr. Evans Matabwa and owner of Master Freight Shipping Company and Global Tobacco Company, Arthur Madikhula.
Initially, the case came to court for plea taking, but the four accused persons were told by the state that their matter will be heard at the High Court Financial Crimes Division instead.
But according to Senior Assistant State Advocate Dzikondianthu Malunda, the decision comes as the High Court now has established the Financial Crimes Division which hears cases related to fraud, of which the AHL case is of the nature.
Making an observation, defence lawyer Counsel Samuel Tembenu expressed concern that they were not informed before hand that today would be a committal proceedings.
The accused are charged with seven counts which include theft, forgery, and uttering of official documents, conspiracy, abuse of office, fraud other than false pretences, negligence and money laundering.
Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned until the date is set to start hearing of the case at the High Court Financial Crimes Division.
AHL is a big company we wondered how it collapsed