The Chief Resident Magistrate`s court in Lilongwe has adjourned to August 3, 2021 a fraud and money laundering case involving former Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) Chief Executive Officer Collins Magalasi and three others. 

On Thursday two state witnesses Alexander Ganiza who is Mera’s Internal Auditor and General Manager for Mapeto Whitehead and Sons Martin Mpata winded up giving their testimony in the trial.

In an interview, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Dr Steven Kayuni, who has expressed satisfaction with progress of the trial, said the state has four more witnesses to be paraded before the court.

“Well, we are happy with the progress of the matter and we really confident on the criminal justice system is on course in terms of this matter.

“We wouldn’t try to pre-empt but just to say that there are witnesses from one legal house, there is a witnesses from a bank, there is a police investigator and there is a one who did a scientific analysis,” said Dr Kayuni.

However, the defence has described evidence rendered by the ninth witness Martin Mpata as hearsay.

“The law says that a person that actually did the examination should be the one that should come and testify and the gentleman who came is not the one who did the work.

“So, he shouldn’t be able to testify why do you testify on things that you don’t know otherwise he was lying, all he just basically didn’t know,” argued Andy Kaonga, one of the defence lawyers.

Magalasi is answering the charges together with his business associate Dorothy Shonga Nkhoma, former spokesperson Patrick Maulidi and former Procurement Officer Bright Mbewe.