Lutepo granted bail
The Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court yesterday granted bail to businessperson Osward Lutepo who has been in police custody since Sunday on charges of perjury after he said he admitted lying to the court to implicate private practice lawyers Ralph Kasambara and Wapona Kita in his testimony in a Cashgate case.
Senior resident magistrate Chisomo Msokera set similar conditions for bail as those set by the High Court where Lutepo is also answering charges of theft and money laundering on how he obtained K2.6 billion from government, but his case is yet to start.
Lutepo’s lawyer, Osward Mtupila, said his client was admitted to City Centre Clinic in Lilongwe with a stomach ailment and was given a temporary discharge to attend the bail hearing.
The frail looking Lutepo appeared in court and was seen clutching his stomach during the hearing and as he walked out of the courtroom, assisted by a relative, to board a vehicle back to hospital.
The State did not object to the bail application, but asked the court to set bail conditions similar to those granted in the other cases which Lutepo is answering before the High Court.
Lutepo’s arrest came after he recently wrote Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale, accusing Director of Public Prosecutions Bruno Kalemba, special prosecutor Kamudoni Nyasulu and former minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Fahad Assani of professional misconduct.
