State witnesses in a case in which Godfrey Dzanjalimodzi is answering charges of laundering government’s K337 million yesterday had a torrid morning responding to a barrage of questions from the accused person’s lawyer over his client’s role in the matter.
Lawyer Steve Kafumba took to task the last two state witnesses in the matter, Frank Mangwaya, a Chief Accountant, and Isaac Norman, an investigator from fiscal police on issues relating to how the money is said to have been laundered.
Kafumba asked Mangwaya the number of people involved in the process of clearing the cheques, including the role officials at the Reserve Bank might have played in the matter.
“Who is responsible for writing cheques? Were they not equally responsible in the matter,” Kafumba asked.
But Mangwaya responded: “I did not investigate. My evidence here is centred on the funding process.”
But Kafumba further quizzed Mangwaya: “It is clear that a number of people were involved. Can you for sure say that he stole the money?”
Mangwaya, however, told the court that what he only knew was that Dzanjalimodzi received the cheques.
But soon after the explanation Kafumba asked again: “Don’t you think people at Reserve Bank of Malawi were also involved?”
But before Mangwaya responded, Judge Ivy Kamanga advised Kafumbu to avoid starting his questions with “Don’t you think…”.
Kafumba later asked Norman why other people who might have been involved in the clearance of the cheques were not included in the case. But the witness said Cashgate cases have different levels.
“Cashgate cases are at different levels. Among others, we have contractors and civil servants. All civil servants involved in the cases are being equally investigated,” Norman said.
Chibwana said following the end of the cross-examination and re-examination of the two witnesses the state had closed its case.
“We propose that submissions [by the defence] should be made within 14 days and we should be given seven days to respond,” Chibwana said.
Judge Kamanga has since said she will rule on September 1 2016, on whether is Dzanjalimodzi has a case to answer or not.
Kamanga has deferred hearing of an application for restoration of Dzanjalimodzi’s. She said the application was premature. According to what was said in court, Kafumbu filed the application on Monday and the state said they needed time to respond to it.
The Kamanga revoked the bail after it was noted that Dzanjalimodzi was on two occasions coming to the court without legal representation, something which was seen as a way of delaying the case.
In the matter, Dzanjalimodzi is said to have received the cheques through WJ Construction Limited.
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