Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Madalitso Khoswe Chimwaza has granted businessperson Dorothy Shonga Nkhoma permission to travel to South Africa for medical review.

Nkhoma, who is currently answering money laundering cases alongside former Mera boss Collins Magalasi, made the application for the temporal release of her passport which has been in court’s custody in order to travel and seeking the court’s permission to travel to the rainbow nation for a medical review.

Reads the CRM’s ruling: ‘I Saw the accused has raised health issues, but the supporting information does not satisfy this court, however I want to give a benefit of doubt to the accused that she should be able to travel and access medical review, but this is on the condition that upon return she should produce medical reports. Just a letter from a doctor is not enough.”

The court has however denied an application by Nkhoma to extend her travel to Dubai for business meeting after agreeing with the State that the middle east country has no extradition agreement with Malawi.

“Every accused person has a right under the Constitution to seek medical attention and also to enjoy economic activities even though is still accused person, so my client intends to attend medical attention in South Africa and also she has been invited to attend business summit in Dubai,” said Shonga’s lawyer, Oscar Taulo.

Chief Resident Magistrate Chimwaza added that the passport, which has been released yesterday Tuesday, should be returned back next week Thursday by close of business.

Speaking earlier, Senior State Advocate Luckia Jaffali opposed the application on the basis that the case is still in progress.

She said: “The State believes that it is better off that the accused stays in the country where the matter proceeds and sees that it has completed while she is available in the country.”

According to the State, Nkhoma, Magalasi, Bright Mbewe and Patrick Maulidi and Dorothy Shonga Nkhoma between August 2019 and July 2020, by deceit, namely, inducing the Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee for the said MERA to approve procurement of various items whose total payment value was K 107 million from Vink Enterprises owned by Nkhoma.

The four accused persons are answering counts bordering on fraud, money laundering, making false statement and uttering false document.