‘Scandal sheet’ reporter charged for obstructing ACB officers
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it has pressed corruption charge to a senior reporter of the Friday ‘Scandal Sheet’ newspaper Weekend Times.
Ngwira was arrested by ACB together with police Tuesday morning at the paper’s offices for alleged extortion of money from a senior official of Story Workshop.
ACB senior public relations officer, Egrita Ndala, said in a statement that Ngwira was taken to Blantyre Magistrate’s Court where he was charged with one count of corrupt practices by private persons contrary to Section 26 (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.
“He was also charged with one count of obstructing Bureau officers contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices Act,” said Ndala.
The Bureau said it received a complain on Monday 21st November, 2011, alleging that Ngwira solicited an amount of money from Kent Mphepo in order for him not to publish a [scandal] story against Mphepo.
“Kandani Ngwira received K5, 000.00 from Mr. Mphepo on 21st November. He ran away when Bureau officers wanted to arrest him,” ACB said in a statement.
He was released on bail on the conditions that he deposit with the Court the sum of MK10,000.00 cash and ordered report to the Anti-Corruption Bureau offices in Blantyre every fortnight on Wednesdays .
The journalist was also ordered to provide two sureties approved by the Court in the sum of K50,000.00 each not cash and surrender travel documents .
He will appear in Court on 15th December, 2011 for trial.
