Judge Patrick Chirwa, sitting as Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate, yesterday “reluctantly” adjourned the case involving Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) former chief executive officer Collins Magalasi and former procurement officer at the authority, Bright Mbewe.
The court case involves the alleged misprocurement of a laboratory fuel testing van worth K704 million.
The defence was meant to start its defence Monday but Magalasi’s lawyer Andy Kaonga, through fellow defence lawyer Enoch Chibwana, told the court that his client is sick and could not be at the court.
State advocate Dzikondianthu Malunda told the court that, even though Kaonga informed him of the development, he expected the defence lawyer to be present at the court.
“He even sent me a number of documents on WhatsApp to demonstrate the same. I expected him to come today. I am surprised that he is not here today.
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“Issues of health are very delicate but we will leave it to the discretion of the court to make a determination on how we are going to proceed,” Malunda told the court.
After adjournment, he told The Daily Times that the State was disappointed because the case had stalled for a long time and that the defence should have done better by informing the State, in advance, about the said adjournment plea.
While adjourning the case to an unspecified date, the judge said it was unfortunate that he had to travel from Zomba to Lilongwe for the case just to hear the defence seeking an adjournment, without prior communication.
The judge, however, agreed with the State that the case be adjourned because “matters of health are very delicate”.
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The suspects were arrested in July 2020 and the State is done with the case, having paraded all its witnesses.
