Police quiz Nankhumwa on TC house
Malawi Police Service on Monday summoned Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa to give details of his purchase of a Tobacco Commission (TC) residential house in Lilongwe in 2018 while serving as Cabinet minister.
National Police deputy spokesperson Harry Namwaza said the estranged Democratic Progressive Party vice-president (South) was invited to Police Headquarters at Area 30 in Lilongwe as part of investigations into the matter.
He said: “He [Nankhumwa] was invited to Area 30 National Police Headquarters for us to record his statement. As you know, we can invite any person we feel can help in the course of our investigations. It is something to do with the Tobacco Commission institutional house [former TC chief executive officer] Mr Kayisi Sadala is alleged to have sold.”
But Nankhumwa’s lawyer Khwima Mchizi denied that his client was at National Police Headquarters.
He said: “He [my client] confirms he has not been to Area 30 today over this issue.”
But Namwaza insisted that Nankhumwa was summoned.
Last week, police arrested Sadala for alleged abuse of office in the disposal of two TC houses.
Sadala was granted bail by the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
According to a charge sheet, Sadala, 58, between the months of July 2018 and March 2019, abused his office by directing the disposal of property title number Alimaunde 10/292 and also property title number Chigumula 22 plot number CG, properties of the TC.
Our sister publication Weekend Nation last year reported that Nankhumwa bought the Area 10 house in Lilongwe at K125 million while the other house in Blantyre was purchased by Jayshree Patel at K50 million.
TC had been pushing to repossess the houses on grounds that they were disposed of without following due process.
The Office of the Ombudsman, in its report into alleged abuse of office at the commission released in May last year, faulted the sale of the two institutional houses, saying they were sold against a ban on sale of institutional houses.
