Former minister of Justice Ralph Kasambara and lawyer Wapona Kita, are among suspects in a case in which four other suspects and a law firm are answering charges involving a total of over K8 billion.
Director of Housing in the Department of Housing Auzius Kazombo Mwale, two Principal Accountants Roosevelt Frank Ndovi and Fletcher Arnold Kaizo and Kasambara’s law firm, Ralph and Arnold Associates are the other respondents.
So far the charges according to criminal case number 18 of 2014, of which there are 5counts to be answered.
one of the counts, Kasambara and Pika Manondo are being charged of money laundering whicj is contrary to section 35(1)(c) of the Money Laundering, Proceeds of Serious Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.
According to Ralph Kasambara and Pika Pascal Manondo, they said between 22 April 2013 and 10 January 2014 within the city of Lilongwe, acting in concert and in furtherance of a common unlawful purpose, each or the others or all of them had in their possession proceeds of crime, namely eleven (11) motor vehicles and Five Billion Six Hundred Sixteen Million Nine Hundred Eighty One Thousand Seven Hundred Fifty One Kwacha (K5,616,981,751.00) which they knew or had reason to believe represented in whole or in part directly or indirectly stolen money,” reads the charge.
The two are also expected to be charged with Conspiracy contrary to Section 35(1) (d) of the Money Laundering, Proceeds of Serious Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.
The charge sheet states that Kasambara and Manondo between 20 January 2013 and 10 January this year “conspired together to acquire proceeds of crime; to wit property which they knew or had reason to believe represented in whole or in part directly or indirectly money stolen from the government.”
Kasambara, Kita, Manondo and Ralph and Arnold Associates are all expected to answer a charge of possession of property suspected of being stolen, contrary to Section 329 of the Penal Code.
“Ralph Kasambara, Wapona Kita, Ralph and Arnold Associates, Pika Pascal Manondo at about 29 July 2013 at Nedbank Ginnery Corner Branch in the City of Blantyre had in their possession Fifty Five Million Kwacha (K55,000,000) which is reasonably suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained,” reads the charge.
Manondo has another charge of possession of property suspected of being stolen, contrary to Section 329 of the Penal Code.
The charge sheet says between 3 June 2013 and 1 January 2014 in the City of Lilongwe Manondo had in his possession 11 motor vehicles and Twenty Two Million Eight Hundred Fifty Three Thousand Seventeen Kwacha Thirty Nine Tambala (K22,853,017.39) suspected to have been stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Mwale, Ndovi and Kaizo are expected to answer on the charges of negligence by public officers, contrary to section 284(1) of the Penal Code.
“Roosevelt Franklin Ndovi, Auzius Kazombo Mwale, Fletcher Arnold Kaizo between 22 April and 13 September 2013 at the Ministry of Finance at Capital Hill in the city of Lilongwe being persons employed in the public service by virtue of their employment had under their control Two Billion Three Hundred Ninety.
