Three people arrested in connection with the abuse and mismanagement of K6.2 billion Covid-19 funds are appearing before Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa in Lilongwe.
Rashid Mtelera, Dominic Chimaliro and Martin Mainja are answering four counts of conspiracy to defraud, abuse of office, floating procurement methods and money laundering.
All the alleged offenses are in accordance with a Covid-19 disinfection exercise which a company owned by Mainja carried out at Capital Hill and Kamuzu Palace.
The exercise amounted to about K97 million but it would have costed K1.5 million if carried out by Lilongwe District Health Office.
Meanwhile, the State, through prosecutor Levison Mangani has asked the court to consider further remand of the accused persons at Maula prison as police continues with their investigations.
However, one of the defence lawyers Powell Nkhutabasa has argued that the accused should not be remanded but granted bail citing that the State has not come forth with concrete reasons as to how the accused will jeopardise investigations by the police.
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