The Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s court has released on bail former Inspector General of Malawi Police Service – George Kainja.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Kainja earlier on Thursday on account of influencing a procurement contract by receiving bribes from Managing Director of Xaviar Limited Zuneth Sattar.

Delivering her ruling, Magistrate Chimwemwe Chimwaza said the accused has been granted bail because the State did not object to his release.

The court has since ordered Kainja to produce a cash bond of K800, 000, two traceable and reliable sureties bonded at K1 million each non-cash, reporting to ACB offices once every fortnight, surrender travel documents to court and not interfering with the Bureau’s investigations.

In an interview, ACB Chief Legal and Prosecutions Officer Victor Chiwala has disclosed that the Bureau will arrest four more individuals in accordance with the charges.

He confirmed: “Yes, there are six accused persons, so we have arrested two today and we are yet to arrest four.”

Chiwala has also defended the Bureau’s decision to take Kainja to court on the same day he has been arrested.

“The law says whenever an accused person has been arrested has to be brought to court within 48 hours, it doesn’t say he has to be brought after 48 hours so what delays most in cases is the process of cautioning.

So he came in the morning, and we did our cautioning and the next step is to be taken to court, that’s what we have done so we haven’t rushed, we have done our work thoroughly,” explained Chiwala.

Investigations conducted by the Bureau established that Kainja solicited an advantage in form of a vehicle and US$8, 000 from Sattar for influencing the award of the contract to supply the food ration packs.

Moreover, the ACB investigation also established that Deputy Commissioner of Police and Service Legal Officer – Mwabi Kaluba, corruptly obtained US$20, 000 from Zuneth Sattar as an advantage for giving assistance in the procurement contract of the food ration packs.

Hearing of the matter has since been adjourned to a date to be communicated as ACB is yet to get consent from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).