Manondo not charged on $184 000 cash
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has not yet charged Pika Manondo with any offence after police seized $184 600 (about K79 million) which was found in his safe deposit box at First Merchant Bank last month.
Manondo is one of the suspects charged with attempted murder of former budget director Paul Mphwiyo who was shot on September 13this year.
In the bail application which has since been shot down, lawyers for Manondo wondered why their client had only been charged with attempted murder yet money belonging to him had been confiscated.
In the affidavit supporting his application for bail, Manondo’s lawyer John-Gift Mwakhwawa said police had told his client he was being charged with illegal possession of foreign exchange and money laundering.
“But we are surprised that there has been no mention of any other charge apart from attempted murder,” he said.
But DPP Bruno Kalemba said investigations are underway to establish if the seized money was connected to the shooting of Mphwiyo.
“We think the money might be part of the motive of the shooting, the money might just be a fraction of the money in the accused’s possession,” Kalemba said.
The High Court in Lilongwe has asked the DPP to speed up investigations into Manondo’s case and bring the matter to trial within 50 days, failing which he would be granted bail.
