COURT FINDS CIVIL SERVANT AND ANOTHER GUILTY FOR CORRUPTION IN LILONGWE

In 2011, the Anti-Corruption Bureau received a complaint alleging that Howard Njewa, Principal Accountant in the Ministry of Economic Planning and development assisted his close friend Brian Bandawe in the contract which he was awarded to supply and clean carpets and supply and fit vertical blinds at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.



The Anti-Corruption Bureau instituted an investigation where it established that Howard Njewa assisted his friend to secure a contract at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development where he was the project accountant with intent to profit from the contract.



The Anti-Corruption Bureau took Howard Njewa and Brian Bandawe to court. Njewa was charged with one count of having advantage for giving assistance in regard to contracts and one count of abuse of public office contrary to Sections 29 (1) and 25B (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act. Brian Bandawe was charged with inducing a public officer to give him an advantage in regard to a contract and inducing a public officer to abuse a public office contrary to Sections 29 (2) and 25 B (2) of the Corrupt Practices Act.



On 6th February, 2014, the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court found Howard Njewa and Brian Bandawe guilty of all the counts respectively and convicted them accordingly.



On 10th February, 2014, the Court sentenced the each one of them to four years imprisonment with hard labour. The sentence is effective from 6th February, the day of their conviction.









EGRITA M. NDALA

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FOR: DIRECTOR GENERAL