Charles Mchacha, Vuwa Kaunda case committed to High Court
ilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Shyleen Yona Chirwa has committed to the High Court the land case involving Charles Mchacha, former chief secretary to the Government Lloyd Muhara, former Lands minister Symon Vuwa Kaunda and former Ministry of Defence secretary Bright Kumwembe.
She, however, has turned down an application by the State to have the accused persons’ bail conditions restored after they were suspended by Principal Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba in January 2021.
The four are being suspected of playing different roles in the alleged illegal land acquisition by Mchacha at Kanjedza in Blantyre. The land in question belongs to the Department of Forestry.
Mchacha, who is Democratic Progressive Party regional governor for the Southern Region, is suspected to have committed the offences when he was the minister of Transport and Public Works in 2019.
Making her ruling, Chirwa agreed with the application by State lawyers to commit the matter to the High Court, but said it was not proper to restore the bail conditions.
She, however, said the State was at liberty to ask the High Court to restore the conditions that included payment of cash bonds and reporting to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The charges that have been committed to the High Court are those that fall under the Corrupt Practices Act.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.
