‘Fake receipts in police case were printed in South Africa’
The fake receipts in a case in which police officers and some government officials were arrested for abuse of government revenue were printed in South Africa, it has emerged.
In September 2021, Lingadzi Police in Lilongwe arrested two of their officers from the Area 30 accounts department on allegations that they were making and issuing counterfeit general receipts (GRs).
The two police officers, Victor Masonga and Emmanuel Magombo, both aged 46, were working in the accounts section at the Traffic Police Headquarters.
They were arrested alongside three other officers: Phillip Mwenye Phiri, technical assistant printer and Theresa Nkhoma and Dennis Chikuni, both assistant printing officers, at Government Print.
Malawi News has learnt that the counterfeit general receipts which the suspects were using were being printed in South Africa.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Masauko Chamkakala, indicated that the revelation has played a part in delaying the commencement of the case.
“We have established that the fake general receipts were being printed in South Africa.
We are therefore working with our counterparts in South Africa to establish the source,” said Chamkakala.
Minister of Homeland Security Ken Zikhale Ng’oma said this case is one reason the government is pushing for digital payments for traffic fines on the road — instead of cash.
“Cash payment on the road is breeding corruption,” he said.
He said the practice of abusing the revenue is making most road users to be generally reluctant to honour on-the-spot fines for fear of giving money to wrong hands.
The arrest of the officials followed a report by Inspector General of Police Meryline Yolamu who was then was Deputy Inspector General of Police after a tip off of mismanagement of government revenue at the Traffic and Transport Section at the police headquarters.
An investigative audit found that the suspects, in the period between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, collected money amounting to K14.7 million using fake general receipts.
The money they collected was not being deposited into Government Account Number One.
Further, the suspects were found to have failed to account for revenue amounting to K51.5 million and also abused revenue amounting to K1.5 million which they used in personal matters.
