By Pemphero Malimba::
Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda Monday adjourned to April 29 2024 hearing of the case in which two former procurement officers in the Ministry of Health are answering misprocurement charges.
The two, Roseline Mwenye and Dominic Chimaliro, are accused of abuse of office when awarding a contract for the supply of non-medical equipment for the National Cancer Centre in Lilongwe.
The contract, which was worth about K983 million, was awarded to FJ Medical Supplies and General Dealers in 2019.
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In previous court proceedings, the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) paraded seven witnesses against the two.
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The court then found the two with a case to answer.
During cross-examination Monday, Chimaliro denied all charges levelled against him.
He argued that he did not attend the meeting for Lot Four of the procurement process.
Coincidentally, the State is alleging that the said meeting did not have all members of the committee to undertake a financial evaluation exercise.
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Lawyer representing the first accused person [Mwenye], namely Gift Katundu, said their theory was well presented to the court.
“The documents show for themselves that there is no evidence that someone was sent out but signed for the process which took place. So, whether one thinks the other way or not, our duty is to present issues before court. It is up to the court to decide whose theory is making sense,” Katundu said.
Lawyer for the second accused [Chimaliro], namely Eric Salima, said he is impressed with the way the case is progressing.
“The case is going on well,” Salima said.
ACB Senior Assistant Legal and Prosecutions Officer Brian Nashire said they would wait for the court to determine the matter.
“Let’s wait for the submissions and see how we are going to move forward,” Nashire said.
Nyirenda is expected to hear submissions from the lawyers.
