The Chief Resident Magistrate’s in Lilongwe has directed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to put its house in order on how its witnesses should render evidence in a case involving Director of Energy Cassius Chibambo.
The directive follows multiple adjournments on Thursday largely necessitated by failure by two state witnesses to render their phone evidence.
On Thursday, the State paraded two witnesses who are Velia Mkomwa, a messenger in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Officer Nelson Seleman.
But the matter went into first adjournment after the defense requested private conversation which Mkomwa was allegedly sharing with the accused.
However, the witness failed to show the court the conversation because her phone was reportedly running out of power and asked for more time to charge the phone which prompted the adjournment.
In addition, the second witness – Seleman also asked for more time to transmit WhatsApp conversation from another phone, a development which also prompted an adjournment.
In her adjournment formalities, Magistrate Madalitso Khoswe Chimwaza bemoaned State’s unpreparedness and directed that the ACB needs to put its house in order.
She said: “The State needs put its prosecution house in order and have the rights gadgets, otherwise we cannot continue like this, for now the court is adjourned to Friday morning for continuation on cross examination.”
Hearing of the matter is expected to resume on Friday where the defense will continue with cross examination.
Chiwambo was arrested by the ACB in December last year on allegation that he abused his office by influencing the evaluation team to favour DECO, Ackon, KK Hardware, Gabs, Two Trees, Business Machines and West One, which were some of the bidders.
His arrest followed an allegation that alleged that Ministry of Energy deliberately side-lined the Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee (IPDC) in procuring power line construction materials for the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (Marep) Phase 9 referenced as MAREP-PH9-G-NCB-2020/2021FY-08.
