The Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has again today failed to resume hearing of a fuel import deal case as the state has asked for an adjournment because Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) principal witness Hellen Buluma is to attend a funeral of her uncle, Senior Chief Malemia of Nsanje who died today morning in Blantyre.

Yesterday, the hearing also failed to take place as one of the accused Enoch Chihana who is president of Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) had to attend to the burial of late former minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe in Mzimba.

The court has since set October 3-5, 2023 for the defence to start cross examining Buluma who tendered her evidence in form of phone recordings and WhatsApp messages in May last year.

In the case, former minister of Energy Newton Kambala, Chihana and former presidential aide Chris Chaima-Banda were arrested on August 9 2021 and are accused of trying to influence a public officer in the procurement of fuel contrary to provisions of the Corrupt Practices Act.