Mzimba North legislator Yeremiah Chihana (Alliance for Democracy) is today expected to appear before the Mzuzu Resident Magistrate’s Court to answer two counts of abuse of office and one of failure to declare interest.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Chihana yesterday morning in Blantyre before transferring him to Mzuzu, according to his lawyer Wapona Kita.
Chihana. | Nation
In a statement, ACB principal public relations officer Egrita Ndala said investigations found that Chihana requested M’Mbelwa District Council to make payments of K14 million and K15 million to Northworks Company Limited as advance payment and second payment, respectively, for grading of roads.
She said Chihana made the requests allegedly with knowledge that the rehabilitation works would not be done by Northworks Limited.
Said Ndala:“He will be charged with two counts of abuse of office contrary to Section 25D (2) (a) of the Corrupt Practices Act and one count of failure to declare interest contrary to Section 25D (2) (a) of the Corrupt Practices Act.”
A warrant of arrest shared by Kita shows that on or around July and August 2022, Chihana allegedly requested and pressurised Moston Mhango to revise a contract price from K27 million to K108 354 000.
The warrant also shows that on July 21 2022, the legislator allegedly used K10 million knowing or having reason to believe that the said sum of money represented proceeds of crime.
On October 16 2020, former Mzimba Hora MP Christopher Mzomera Ngwira (Democratic Progressive Party) was sentenced to four years imprisonment for diverting K650 000 from the Local Development Fund. He had earlier reimbursed K400 000 of that money. Ngwira was later released on medical grounds in 2022.
Before that, in July 2020, a magistrate court in Zomba also convicted former legislator for Zomba Malosa, Anderson Undani (People’s Party) and his personal assistant Pangani Nazombe for abusing project materials purchased under Constituency Development Fund for construction of a teacher’s house.
