Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president for the Central Region Alfred Gangata spent a second night in custody on Tuesday as police were yet to finalise paperwork before bringing him to court yesterday.
In an interview yesterday, National Police spokesperson Peter Kalaya said the suspect will appear in the Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe today (Wednesday).
Monday: Gangata. | Nation
Gangata was arrested on Monday this week on allegations of possessing a fraudulent Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE).
Said Kalaya: “We are unable to take him to court today [Tuesday] as paperwork is still being processed. He will instead be taken to court on Wednesday.”
Gangata’s lawyer Zwelithini Chipembere was not immediately available to comment on the postponement.
The suspect voluntarily surrendered himself to police on Monday after learning that the law enforcers are investigating his academic credentials.
According to Kalaya, the certificate in question was allegedly issued by Chitowo Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Dedza in 2018.
Kalaya said the police have evidence that Gangata was never enrolled at the institution.
In January this year, Gangata was also arrested for allegedly uttering a false document purportedly from Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) on tax records.
He pleaded not guilty to four charges of falsifying tax records, forgery, uttering a false document and concluding a transaction without a tax clearance certificate.
According to the charge sheet, Gangata, between July 2017 and June 2018, allegedly prepared and used a falsified tax clearance certificate number MRA/MTO-LIL/000952 bearing the name Alfred Ruwani Gangata trading as Master Security Services to meet the bidding process requirement advertised by Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
