State rejects Kalonga assets
The State on Monday rejected some property convicted former tourism assistant Leonard Kalonga offered for restitution on grounds that the said property, notably vehicles, were obtained using proceeds of crime.
In an e-mail response after the court, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mary Kachale said Kalonga wants to make some sort of repayment.
She said: “I can only confirm that indeed he has told the court through his counsel, Mr Theu, that he would like to make some form of restitution. So far, the offer includes a real property and some vehicles.
repay: Kalonga
“As the State, we will accept the real property, but we have rejected the vehicles on grounds that we have information to lead us to believe that the vehicles are tainted property.”
The DPP said the case is scheduled for sentencing next year and yesterday came before court for mention.
The court wanted to hear Kalonga’s offer of restitution which would result in the State considering what is being offered and if acceptable to engage competent institutions to value properties being offered before further submissions in court.
Lawyer representing Kalonga, Emmanuel Theu, and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) deputy director general Reyneck Matemba also confirmed about the developments in court.
On August 26, the State convicted Kalonga on his own plea of guilty for stealing K3.7 billion ($6.3 million) in the ongoing Cashgate trials.
Kalonga mentioned former president Joyce Banda as having been involved in what has come to be known as Cashgate, the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill.
During the earlier court hearing after pleading guilty, Kalonga narrated how Banda and former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo were involved in the looting.
real property
Mphwiyo’s shooting on September 13 2013 outside the gate of his Area 43 residence in Lilongwe led to revelations of the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill.
Former president Banda ordered an audit which British forensic auditor, Baker Tilly, undertook between April and September 2013 and established that about K24 billion ($40.1million) was siphoned from public coffers through dubious payments, inflated invoices and goods or services never rendered.
In May this year, a financial analysis report by audit and business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also established that about K577 billion ($964.9 million) in public funds could not be reconciliated between 2009 and December 31 2014.
