Grace Mhango out on bail
The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court in Lilongwe Thursday granted bail to Chairperson, of Grain Traders Association , Grace Mijiga Mhango, who is accused of forgery in the procurement of maize from Zambia.
Mhango was arrested yesterday in Lilongwe, the day former Agriculture minister, George Chaponda, was also arrested in Blantyre.
Mhango appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate, Shyreen Yona, and was charged with forgery contrary to Section 351 of the Penal Code.
Particulars of her offence are that “in or around July 2016 in the city of Lilongwe with intent to defraud or deceive, forged a proforma invoice for Seven Seas Trading and Enterprise in such a manner as to appear as if the said prorfoma invoice was issued by Seven Seas Trading and Enterprise when in fact it was not”.
Dressed in a red dress and black top, Mhango looked composed in the chamber as she pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Her lawyer, Chrispine Ndalama, asked the court to give her bail on basis that the she has a registered business and is a resident of Lilongwe, thus tracing her will not pose a challenge.
In her ruling, Yona said Mhango should be reporting to Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) twice a month and pay K100,000 cash, among others.
“You should surrender travel documents and get permission when travelling outside the city. You should also produce two sureties on non-cash bond of K2 million each,” she said
In an interview, ACB Deputy Director, Reyneck Matemba, said they did not object to the bail since the bureau has finished investigations.
“We knew they would apply for the bail but since we are done with our investigations, there was no need to object. The case is related with that of former minister George Chaponda because the other two persons reported in Blantyre. That’s why we will do their bail issue separately,” he said.
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