National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) Deputy Chief Executive Hellen Buluma has been subpoenaed by the Chief Resident Magistrate Court sitting in Lilongwe.
Buluma has been failing to continue her testimony against former Energy minister Newton Kambala, Alliance for Democracy president Enoch Chihana and former chief Presidential Adviser on Strategy Chris Chaima Banda, citing sickness as the main reason.
According to a summon to witness which we have seen, High Court Judge Patrick Chirwa, sitting as Chief Resident Magistrate has set January 17 to 18, 2023 as the dates she will continue her testimony.
“Whereas a complaint has been made that the above accused person has committed offences under the Corrupt Practices Act. You are hereby summoned to attend court before the Chief Resident Magistrate to testify what you know concerning the said complaint on the 17 to 20 January 2023at 9 o’clock in the forenoon from day to day until the trial be concluded and herein fail not,” readd the summon
Buluma is the key witness in the case in which former minister of Energy Newton Kambala and two others are accused of attempting to influence a public officer in the procurement of fuel contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act.
Before Buluma, the State paraded Charles Mphinga, an official from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority.
ACB arrested Kambala, Chihana and Chaima Banda in August last year for allegedly attempting to influence Buluma to award contracts to Orxy, Finergy and Trafigura.
The three were granted bail two days later.
On the day they were granted court bail, President Lazarus Chakwera fired Kambala and Chaima Banda as Energy minister and chief Adviser on Strategy, respectively
