Lilongwe Magistrate Court has released on bail Director of Energy Cassius Chiwambo who was arrested on Wednesday this week by the Anti-Corruption Bureau over a charge of abuse of office.

Chiwambo, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge, has been ordered to pay a cash-bond of K250, 000 and produce two sureties bonded at a non-cash of K1 million each.

The Court has also directed the suspect to surrender his travelling documents and report to ACB office once every fortnight.

Chiwambo`s arrest followed an allegation which among other things, alleged that the Ministry of Energy deliberately side-lined the Internal Procurement and Disposal Committee (IPDC) in procuring powerline construction materials for the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 9.