By Wezzie Gausi:
Lester Maganga, who is accused of killing Coca- Cola beverages company employee Allan Wittika, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.
He pleaded not guilty when he appeared in the High Court sitting in Lilongwe.
The first count for Maganga is that of murder, which is in line with Section 209 of the Penal Code, with the second one being that of being found in possession of ammunition without permission.
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Maganga is suspected of killing Wittika, who was found dead in his official vehicle in Lilongwe’s Area 47 on September 20 2023.
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State lawyer Pirirani Masanjala told The Daily Times that the State would start parading Witnesses in the next court appearance.
“We, as the State, are ready to start parading our witnesses on the matter as the accused has pleaded not guilty [to the charge of murder]. We have a number of witnesses that will be paraded before the court when we next converge,” Masanjala said.
Meanwhile, High Court Judge Mzondi Mvula has ruled that Maganga should remain in custody at Maula Prison pending commencement of trial on February 13 2024.
Mvula also said the issue of bail application will be dealt concurrently with the trial in order to speed up things.
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“The court shall hear the case over a span of 14 days, all things being equal. The case will continue on Tuesday, February 13 2024,” Mvula said.
Defence Lawyer Powell Nkhutabasa was not readily available for a comment on their take on court proceedings.
There was heavy presence of police at the court premises, with armed prison guards positioned around Maganga.
The case was committed to the High Court from a subordinate court in October last year.
