The State says it needs two weeks to complete investigations and allow former Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba to take plea in a case where she is accused of abuse of office.
She was arrested on Wednesday at Kamuzu International Airport as she was about to board a flight to Switzerland and released on court bail on Friday after being formally charged.
The State, represented by Festus Sakanda from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) chambers, said they took Zamba to court to inform her of the charges she is answering.
In granting bail to Zamba, Lilongwe chief resident magistrate Austin Banda ordered that her Area 43 residence in Lilongwe should be used as surety and that she must report to National Police Headquarters in Area 30, Lilongwe every fortnight.
Zamba was also ordered to surrender her travel documents and not to leave the country unless the court grants permission for travel in consultation with the State and her legal team.
Private practice lawyer Sylvester Ayuba James, who is representing Zamba, said her client has been charged with abuse of office.
He said the State is accusing her of unlawfully employing at least 300 individuals in the public service between 2022 and 2023 without following proper procedures.
The lawyer said he argued that some of the bail conditions set were not favourable for his client.
“The conditions proposed by the State were too punitive. We asked the court to dismiss the submission for her to appear before police every week to at least two weeks which the court agreed. We also argued for surety of house, but court agreed with the State on that,” said James.
Speaking outside the court, Zamba thanked all sympathisers that had come to cheer her up at the court.
The former SPC was on Wednesday set to travel to Geneva, Switzerland for her daughter’s graduation when she was detained within the airport’s VIP Lounge and later taken to National Police Headquarters for questioning.
Zamba served as SPC under the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) administration between 2022 and 2025.
She replaced ZangaZanga Chikhosi who served as first SPC of former president Lazarus Chakwera between 2020 and May 2022.
