The Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court yesterday formally charged four Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) officials, including immediate-past chief elections officer Andrew Mpesi with two counts of misuse of public funds and released them on bail.
Mpesi, who resigned in May and completed serving his three-month notice on August 21, was arrested on Tuesday and charged alongside MEC director of human resource and administration Yacinto Chikapa, director of finance Khumbo Alfred Phiri and deputy chief elections officer responsible for finance and administration Andrew Kamkwalala.
Lilongwe chief resident magistrate Austin Banda ordered their release after the State formally presented the charges.
The court heard that in July 2026, Mpesi, together with two other MEC officials, allegedly misused K9 million in MEC funds to pay school fees for his children.
Prosecutor Prescott Mwayiulipo told the court that the payment was made despite the officials having knowledge that Mpesi had resigned from MEC and was serving his notice period.
The State also charged Kamkwalala with alleged misuse of K33 million in MEC funds to pay allowances for two officers who travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates last year.
According to the State, the expenditure was outside the laws governing the electoral body.
The four were released on bail with a condition to surrender their travel documents. Chikapa, Phiri and Kamkwalala were also ordered to pay K800 000 each in cash bonds.
Mpesi’s lawyer Chrispine Ndalama told the court that his client is already on bail in another case in which he is accused of abuse of office over the use of an official vehicle.
He said he would make a written application asking the court to direct that Mpesi should not be arrested again in connection with related allegations while he remains on bail.
Lawyer for Chikapa, Jefferson Luwa, said his client’s charges relate to the payment of school fees for Mpesi’s children.
Meanwhile, Phiri’s lawyer, Innocent Zimba, said his client is answering two counts.
