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MCP aspirant Kondi Msungama re-arrested

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Blantyre City Centre parliamentary candidate Kondi Msungama was re-arrested Tuesday evening by police in Blantyre for allegedly breaching his bail conditions in a theft case he is answering.

Msungama was first arrested on October 16 2018 before he was granted bail a few days later, alongside UTM parliamentary candidate for Blantyre Bangwe, George Saonda, for allegedly swindling a Blantyre-based Burundian businessperson, Emmanuel Gatera Alphonse of K6 350 000.

On remand at Chichiri Prison: Msungama

Southern Region Police regional prosecutions officer Dickens Mwambazi said yesterday, in an interview, that Msungama was not reporting to police fortnightly as stipulated in his bail conditions.

“He was being kept at Chileka Police, but he was being moved to Chichiri Prison Thursday on remand to wait for trial which is commencing on April 26. He will be attending to his case from Chichiri Prison,” he said.

According to the court record, both Msungama and Saonda, who are aspiring for elected public office as legislators, and a third accused person, Daniel Masina Chikhaula of Njonja Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Kachere in Dedza, denied the charges of theft by false pretence and impersonating a public officer that were leveled against them.

Msungama is answering charges of impersonating an Immigration officer with alleged intent to swindle the businessperson, according to the court record.

In an earlier interview, MCP publicity secretary the Reverend Maurice Munthali, said the party would not want to make any presumed judgment on the allegations leveled against Msungama.

“If anything, the MCP will

pillars, which is the rule of law where justice must always be seen to prevail without bias, prejudice or malice. always stick to one of its key

“It is our hope that Msungama will want to follow the right paths even as he pulls himself out of the allegations,” he said.

The accused persons were arrested by Chileka Police last October and got their court bail the same month, at a bond of K250 000 each, accompanied by the condition that they should be reporting at Chileka Police fortnightly, a condition Msungama breached.

The court record further indicates that the complainant, Alphonse, in his recorded statement, told police that Msungama and Saonda were ignoring his telephone calls after the money was collected.

In the matter, the accused persons would have to counter claims by the complainant, Alphonse, as per his sworn affidavit, that Saonda assured him he would assist him get citizenship as he was strategically connected to those in authority.

At the time the offences were allegedly committed, Saonda was director of events in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) before he dumped the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to join UTM.

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