MALAWI POLICE K700M FRAUD CASE STARTS AT FINANCIAL CRIMES COURT
In a case that has rocked the nation to its core, the High Court’s Financial Crimes Division in Lilongwe has begun hearing the jaw-dropping trial of Tadius Samveka and five other high-ranking officers from the Malawi Police Service (MPS), accused of orchestrating a staggering K742,753,215.00 theft from within the police force itself.
The accused, including Samveka, Kingsley Mzuma, Howkins Chadzandiyani, Enock Chulu, Suzgo Mwamlima, and Ngalipa Chiramiramadzi, stand trial on multiple charges, including theft of government revenue, money laundering, and fraudulent abuse of power. The scale of the alleged crime is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine: police officers trusted with the nation’s safety and security have been accused of systematically siphoning millions from police coffers in a brazen scheme that seems to have gone unnoticed for far too long.
As the courtroom drama unfolded today, it became clear that the accused had carefully planned and executed the theft over an extended period. According to the prosecution, the officers would receive cheques meant for police establishments, only to deposit them into an account that was not even linked to the government. The audacity of the crime has stunned even the most seasoned legal minds in Malawi.
The case took a dramatic turn when the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Masauko Chamkakala, presented testimony from Deputy Commissioner of Police Monica Katemba Msongole. Msongole, who serves as the director of finance at Police Headquarters in Lilongwe, revealed that the corruption scandal came to light in June 2020, when she was summoned by the Inspector General to investigate allegations of officers stealing funds.
It didn’t take long for the truth to emerge. Msongole, who had worked alongside the accused officers, named them as the signatories to the fraudulent account. A chilling revelation followed as she identified Samveka, Bonongwe, and Chadzandiyani as the masterminds behind the operation.
The plot thickened as Msongole testified that the accused officers had tried to cover their tracks by justifying K33,000,000.00 withdrawn from the account, claiming it was used to pay off laid-off laborers. But when the bank records were examined, a completely different picture emerged. The records revealed that only a paltry K1,000,000.00 remained in the account after the withdrawals, with the rest of the funds mysteriously vanishing.
The true scale of the heist became even more apparent as the court learned of the enormous withdrawals made by some of the accused: K466,864,293.00 by Enock Chulu, K269,440,000.00 by Ngalipa Chiramiramadzi, and K45,525,000.00 by Suzgo Mwamlima—each of these amounts withdrawn just days after the deposits were made.
But when questioned, the accused officers offered only vague and contradictory explanations. They admitted to taking the money but claimed it was handed over to Samveka for safekeeping. The prosecution, however, made it clear that no such “safekeeping” could explain the staggering amounts of money that had been siphoned from the system.
As the court proceedings continue, the nation watches with bated breath. The trial is expected to reveal even more shocking details about the depths of corruption within the Malawi Police Service. Justice Violet Chipao is presiding over the case, and with the DPP’s team, including Director of Criminal Litigation Dzikondianthu Malunda and Counsel Papano Dalla, leading the charge, there is hope that those responsible for this monstrous theft will face the full wrath of the law.
For now, the High Court has adjourned the hearing to tomorrow, but the questions linger: How far does the corruption go? How many other officers were involved? And what other secrets will be uncovered as the trial continues? One thing is certain—the revelations in this trial are poised to send shockwaves through the entire nation.
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