Tukula, Mphwiyo’s wife out on bail

The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Courton Tuesday granted bail to director of the Office of Directorate of Public Officers Assets Declaration, Christopher Tukula, and Thandizo Mphwiyo, wife to former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo.

However, the former budget director, who was arrested alongside his spouse by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday, spent one more night at Lilongwe Police Station holding cells as his fate would be decided today.

Paul Mphwiyo has been charged with theft and money laundering amounting to K2.1 billion.

Senior resident magistrate Paul Chiotcha adjourned his bail application proceedings to Wednesday morning because “time is not on our side”.

During hearing for Thandizo’s bail application, the court learnt that Mrs Mphwiyo, who has been charged with theft and money laundering, in September 2013 used a fictitious trust called Good Deeds Trust to buy a house title number Alimaude 12/263 from Geoffrey James Kayanula at K50 million knowingly or having reason to believe that the said price or money were proceeds of a crime.

She is also alleged to have forged a stamp used by government for revenue purposes to stamp the documents of the said Good Deeds Trust.

In an interview, ACB lawyer Pilirani Bangula confirmed that the said trust was fictitious and operated illegally.

Earlier, Tukula, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of interfering with the course of justice and forcing Cashgate suspects to lie to the ACB, was granted bail without objections.

Private practice lawyer Ralph Kasambara, who represented Tukula, reminded the court that the State had defied a court order by arresting his client, also a lawyer by profession, despite an injunction and also that he was in custody for over 48 hours contrary to the Constitution.