-
ESCOM employees can be tried as public officials, Court rules
- Set to appear for trial on 9th June 2021
Blantyre High Court in Malawi has ruled that, as a state-owned company, employees of Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) can be prosecuted as public officials. In his ruling yesterday, Justice Silvester Kalembera said, ”ESCOM Ltd is a State-Owned company hence a public body. Being a public body, its employees are public officers as far as the CPA and the Penal Code are concerned”.
Former Chairperson of the ESCOM Board, Jean Mathanga, alongside former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Kandulu, former Director of Procurement Fanuel Nkhono, and Senior Procurement Officer Emilias Kandapo, were arrested last year on the allegations of procurement fraud.
The ex-employees were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), and the trial is set to commence on 9th June 2021.