BWB fraud suspects bail ruling today

The Blantyre Magistrate’s Court is today expected to deliver its ruling on a bail application by two Blantyre Water Board (BWB) employees suspected to have defrauded the parastatal about K128 million.

The duo, who appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba on Friday who reserved the bail ruling to today, are answering charges of money laundering and theft by public servant.

law_court

The suspects—Brian Makote and Foster Kapito together with Obina Liwonde—are suspected to have opened a parallel welfare fund account at Nedbank where four cheques from the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and State Residences amounting to K150 million were deposited into the account between July and August this year.

As the account was active, encashment and two funds transfers to Multi Electricals bank account held at FDH Bank worth K25 million were made. Multi Electrical bank account belonged to Liwonde, an employee of BWB working as a construction clerk.

However, the fraud was exposed in August this year after Makote allegedly went to withdraw K20 million from the account before fleeing to Botswana using the Mwanza border post where he was arrested by International Police (Interpol).

Makote, who is still on remand at Chichiri Prison, first appeared before the same court after he was extradited to the country in September. Nyimba denied him bail on the premise that he was a flight risk and that the country has porous borders that would easily permit him to flee again, having done so before.

But lawyer for Makote, Chancy Gondwe, argued that his client has a constitutional right to be granted bail.

Meanwhile, the State will continue parading its 16 witnesses in the case, having already paraded two last Friday. n