MCP aspirant Kondi Msungama arrested again, to remain on remand until April 26 to answer theft charges

Malawi Police in Blantyre Tuesday evening re-arrested Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentary candidate for Blantyre City Centre, Kondi Msungama, allegedly for breaching his bail conditions in a theft case he is answering.

Msungama, who was first arrested on October 16 last year alongside UTM Party parliamentary candidate for Blantyre Bangwe George Saonda for allegedly swindling a Burundian businessman of over K6 million, was granted bail on October 30 last year.

But Msungama has not been reporting for his bail once per fortnight, according to Regional Prosecutions Officer for Southern Region Police, Dickens Mwambazi.

Mwambazi told Nyasa Times on Thursday that Msungama was still in custody at Chileka Police Station and was due to be moved to Chichiri Prison where he would be placed on remand to await for his trial set for April 26.

Msungama and Saonda are said to have swindled the businessman after they convinced him that they were going to process citizenship for him and members of his family, but the businessman discovered later on that he was duped.

This case is seriously reducing MCP chances to strongly contest for the parliamentary seat in Blantyre City Centre as the candidate is behind bars when his friends have intesfied campaign and it appears it would not be easy to reapply for another bail.

Msungama and Saonda are accused of swindling the Blantyre-based Burundian businessman, Emmanuel Gatera Alphonse, K6 350 000.

Mwambazi said Msungama was most likely to attend his full trial from remand unless he manage to reapply for another bail.

Msungama and Saonda, who are aspiring for elected public office as legislators, and another accused person, Daniel Chikhaula, denied theft by false pretence and impersonating as public officer charges.

The MCP aspirant  is said to impersonated an Immigration Officer with intent to swindle the businessperson according to court records.

MCP publicity secretary the Reverend Maurice Munthali, said the party would not want to make any presumed judgment on the allegations leveled against Msungama.

“If anything, the MCP will always stick to one of its key pillars, which is the rule of law where justice must always be seen to prevail without bias, prejudice or malice.

“It is our hope that Msungama will want to follow the right paths even as he pulls himself out of the allegations,” Munthali told a local daily few weeks ago.

It is alleged that Msungama was  introduced to the complainant by Saonda at Immigration Headquarters in Blantyre as an intelligence officer.

The accused persons, after their arrest in October last year by Chileka Police, got their court bail at a bond of K250 000 each.

Malawi Watch executive director Billy Banda said in an interview with Nyasa Times  that  political parties must always align all their interests in the interests of voters.

“Some serious reports of thefts and impersonating a public officer must be treated with serious action by parties.

“It should be a requirement that such allegations once proven must not be condoned but irrespective of the seniority of any political aspirants, they must be suspended after an internal Intra Party Dialogue Committee has heard from those suspected,” Banda said.

He said the political parties in  compliance to democratic rules and values, must not allow individuals with such conducts allowed to continue contesting until cleared by the court of law.

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