Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Patrick Chirwa has adjourned to 7th and 8th September, hearing of a theft case of government property involving former minister of information Henry Mussa and director of information Gideon Munthali.
This is when Munthali will be cross-examined.
Today, Munthali who is the first accused narrated what might have transpired in a whatsap group conversation that was being used by officials at the ministry during their time in office.
Munthali said after receiving the 10 computers and three generators donated by Macra on May 2, he reported the development on the Ministry’s Project WhatsApp group and that on Friday May 3, he took the items to the Ministry’s Headquarters and met the Deputy Director of Administration, a Mr Nankhuni, who was sitting in for PS Esme Kainja, to deliver the consignment.
Munthali said Nankhuni told him to hold on to the computers for a little while as the Ministry was not ‘secure enough’.
He said he kept the computers and gensets in his vehicle, awaiting for the Ministry of Information to find a safe place to keep them.
He said the request by his department to Macra did not include computers but 30 tablets for District Information Officers to be using in filing stories and taking pictures.
He said the request for computer was done by the head office, where the PS and Mr Nankhuni sit.
Munthali, however, said the request for the generators came from his office because they operate in three regions where generators are needed.
He said Mussa kept on pushing him to make sure that the items were not distributed.
Munthali said Mussa was communicating to him directly and not through the PS.
According to Munthali, the third generator was meant for the Central Region but was kept together with the computers.
Munthali said Mussa kept asking about the items and that he would do that by phone and text.
He said every time Mussa did that, he would inform the PS.
According to Munthali, he only had the chance of keeping a text of Mussa inquiring about the items from June 9, 2019.
