Tag Archives: Gerald Viola

Law and order, Malawi

ACB to appeal against Viola, Chingola’s two year suspended sentence on office abuse

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) plans to appeal the two year suspended sentence the Lilongwe Principal Resident Magistrate Court gave to former National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) deputy Chief Executive Officer Gerald Viola.

Principal Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba handed the sentence on Monday, February 27, 2023.

This follows the conviction the court ruled on Viola last week Monday in connection with a MK3.3 billion NFRA maize scandal.

The court found Viola guilty on first charge of misuse of office while his co-convict, businessperson Chrispin Chingola, was found guilty on the count of influencing a public officer to misuse a public office.

In brief statement made available to The Maravi Post while welcoming the sentencing, ACB seems not satisfied hence an appeal against the verdict.

“On 27th February 2023 the Principal Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe sentenced Mr Gerald Viola and Mr Chrispin Chingola to three years imprisonment. The Court has suspended the sentence for two years. Mr Viola was convicted of abuse of office contrary to Section 258 (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act. Mr Chingola was convicted for influencing a public officer to misuse a public office contrary to Section 25 B (2) of the Corrupt Practices Act.

“The Bureau will appeal against the sentence,” reads ACB statement signed by its Principal Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala.

This comes after general public expressed unsatisfied with also the sentencing of Viola and Chingola regarding the gravel of the matter in fighting against corruption in the country.

In October 2020, ACB arrested Viola and Chingola for unilaterally issuing to Missies Trading a Local Purchasing Order (LPO) number 6750 to supply 10 000 metric tones of maize to NFRA worth MK3.3 billion for the business interest of Chingola of the said Missies Trading Company.

Viola is the former press officer of Peter Mutharika during Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) era.

Law and order, Malawi

Former deputy NFRA chief Gerald Viola, Chingola convicted: Sentence on Feb 27

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Lilongwe Principal Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba on Monday, February 20, 2023 convicted Gerald Viola and Chrispin Chingola in a case to do with the supply of maize worth MK3.3 billion at National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA).

In March last year, the court found Viola, Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer for NFRA and businessperson Chingola with a case to answer.

Viola was being accused of singlehandedly awarding a contract to Chingola’s company to supply 10000 tones of maize worth MK3.3 billion.

The process is said to have been done without following procurement procedures.

The two were being accused of forgery and conspiracy to misuse public office but Viola alone was also accused of misuse of public office and interfering with the work of the Internal Procurement and Disposal of Assets Committee.

Delivering his judgement Principal Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba said the two are found guilty.

Nyimba therefore ordered that Gerald Viola Chrispin Chingola remain in custody, waiting for sentencing, after their conviction.

The sentence will be delivered on Monday, February 27,2023.

Law and order, Malawi

Magistrate revokes former NFRA deputy chief Gerald Viola’s bail for court appearance failure

Lloyd M’bwana

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Principal Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe on Monday, January 30, 2023 revoked bail for former National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gerald Viola for failing to appear before court for delivery of judgement.

Viola alongside businessperson, Chrispin Chingola were found with a case to answer in March 2022 on offences under the Corrupt Practices Act and Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.

Chingola was however available at the court today but his lawyer was absent.

But Viola’s lawyer Luciano Mickeus told Nation Online that he will contest the court’s decision arguing that the defense team was not served with Notice of Delivery of Judgement.

“My client is not to blame for not being in court because he waits to hear from me as his lawyer, and I did communicate to him yesterday (Sunday) that the hearing will not take place. Let ACB produce evidence that the defense was served,” said Mickeus.

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) chief legal and prosecution officer, Victor Chiwala, the court is expected to set the date for next hearing to deliver the judgement.

Chiwala disclosed that Viola and his lawyer did not appear before court for reasons known to themselves.

Viola is accused of unilaterally issuing a company called Missies Trading Supply an LPO number 6750 to supply 10, 000 metric tones of maize to NFRA.

Law and order

Gerald Viola, Deputy Chief Executive Officer NFRA has been taken into custody

Elwin Mandowa
Gerald Viola

News reaching  the Maravi Post confirm ACB has ordered the arrest of Mr. Gerald Viola who is being accused of abuse of office. The Statement from ACB reads:

On 1st October 2020, the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested Mr. Gerald Viola, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) in Lilongwe on suspected offences under the Corrupt Practices Act and Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.

Mr. Gerald Viola is suspected to have committed the offences on or about 22nd

January, 2020 when he as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of NFRA unilaterally issued LPO Number 6750 to a company called Missies Trading to supply 10,000 metric tons of maize to NFRA for the advantage of Mr. Chrispin Chingola of the said Missies Trading without involving the Internal Procurement and Disposal of Assets Committee. 

He will be taken to Court after the Bureau has interviewed him.

Law and order, Malawi

Crackdown on impunity: DPP’s Viola arrested for pawning government vehicle

Maneno Chimulala
Nankhumwa and Viola at Chikwawa Police Station

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Police in Chikwawa district have arrested Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Gerald Viola for using a government vehicle as collateral to obtain a loan from a Ngabu based usury businessman.  

Southern Region Police spokesperson Ramsy Mshani has confirmed.

Viola, who is the deputy chief executive officer of the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), is reportedly to have pawned the government vehicle last year.

But this week some officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet identified the vehicle at Ngabu Trading Centre and they immediately reprted the matter to police so that they can confiscate it.

the missing car

According to OPC officials, the original number plate of the vehicle— a black Toyota Camry—is MG489AE but the loan shark changed it to ZA 8831.

As a DPP sympathizer, viola was today morning visited by by Leader of Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa.

Nankhumwa also visited Ward councilor Jomo Osman at Limbe Police Station before proceeding to Chikwawa.

Jomo Osman: re-arrested

Osman has been re-arrested on accusations that he assaulted UTM party members and former legislature Allan Ngumuya in Blantyre.

He is also being accused of assaulting a boy for wearing Malawi Congress Party (MCP) cloth ahead of the May 2019 tripartite elections.

Osman was granted bail last week by the Blantyre Magistrate Court when he was charged with malicious damage and theft contrary to section 344(1) and 278 of the Penal Code.

During the campaign period the Tonse Alliance promised to end impunity in government by arresting all government-sponsored criminals and all looters and plunders of the public resources.

Yesterday 12 police officers were arrested in connection with the death of murder suspect Buleya Lule who died in police custody.

Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) official Rosa Mbilizi is also behind bars for abusing her office.

Top News

Gerald Viola’s confirmation of Pres. Mutharika as puppet angers State House

Maravi Post correspondent
Gerald Viola

LILONGWE (MaraviPost)—Barely few months after Barrister Z Allan Ntata branded President Mutharika as a puppet—someone who is controlled and manipulated by his top aide Ben Phiri—his (Mutharika’s) press secretary Gerald Viola has in an Exclusive interview on Times TV confirmed that his boss is indeed a puppet who is simply a figure head as decisions which matters to run the country are made by his puppet master.

Continue reading Gerald Viola’s confirmation of Pres. Mutharika as puppet angers State House →