Ex-MDF bosses case back in court
The State has tendered 130 documents in court for its K2 billion Cashgate case involving former Malawi Defence Force (MDF) commander Henry Odillo and three other ex-senior military and civilian officials.
Special Cashgate prosecutor Kamudoni Nyasulu, speaking in an interview after adjournment of yesterday’s proceedings at the High Court in Lilongwe, said the documents relate to the financial transactions, budgeting and accounting done in the final year and builds on the State’s case against the accused.
He said: “We have submitted over 718 pages of some 130 documents. The defence lawyer pleaded with the judge to adjourn so that they can prepare for the cross-examination.
“The witness has been talking about how payments are made, the cash flow and the documents are about the payments which were made in that year so that we can account for every money which was budgeted for in that year.”
The case is part of the infamous Cashgate—the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill exposed through the shooting of former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo outside the gate of his Area 43 residence in Lilongwe on September 13 2013—where about K24 billion was stolen during a randomly chosen six months period auditors covered between April and September 2013.
Currently standing in the witness box is a former MDF finance and administration officer who will be cross-examined by lawyers representing Odillo, former deputy MDF commander Clement Kafuwa, former accountant general David Kandoje and Ganizani Kuchombo.
The four are accused of sanctioning payments to Thuso Group, a South Africa-based business group which prosecutors say was a fake military equipment supplier and, allegedly, invoiced and received pay from MDF amounting to K920 000 000 and ZAR30 000 000 (K1.5 billion) for supply of ammunition which they did not deliver.
Apart from the accusation of lacking a legitimate contract with Malawi Government and not supplying the ammunition, the Thuso Group deal is also said to have been overpriced.
