BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has disclosed that it will arrest more people in connection with an alleged attempt to bribe High Court of Malawi judges after winding up their investigations.
In an interview, the ACB director general Reyneck Matemba said more arrests should be expected because their investigations are still underway. Matemba added that the bureau’s position to cover up the identity of the other suspect will be maintained.
Two weeks ago, Matemba also refused to disclose the names of the alleged masterminds of the plot to bribe the judges and only said there were two suspects, one from the private sector and the other working for one of the arms of government.
A week after the bureau arrested business tycoon Thom Mpinganjira who is also the chief executive officer of FDH Financial Holdings Limited and board chairperson of Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) in connection with the bribery case following a formal complaint from Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda, Matemba has said the bureau it is ready to formally charge Mpinganjira and he will given an opportunity to apply for bail.
The bureau director has however said they do not anticipate Mr Mpinganjira to be re-arresting.
The business tycoon will be charged with two offences, one in the High Court where ACB is challenging the order suppressing his warrant of arrest.
The second in the magistrate’s court where he is to be charged under the Corrupt Practices Act on allegations of attempting to bribe High Court of Malawi judges hearing the presidential election nullification petition case.
High Court said it will hear from both the applicant (ACB) and the respondent (Mpinganjira) before exercising its power to review the Miscellaneous Criminal Case Number 1 of 2020 on which the magistrate in Zomba made his ruling.
High Court of Malawi and Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal registrar Agnes Patemba added that the Judiciary has assigned High Court Judge Dorothy Kamanga to review the order Zomba-based principal resident magistrate Ben Chitsamile issued on Wednesday night cancelling the initial warrant the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court had granted the ACB.
