By Chisomo Phiri
The High Court Financial Crimes Division has ordered the seizure of land belonging to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Regional Governor for the Southern Region, Charles Mchacha.
The land is said to be situated in the Kanjedza Forest Reserve in Blantyre.
According to a statement issued today by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and signed by the bureau’s Principal Public Relations Officer, Egritta Ndala, the property is now under the custody, care, and control of the bureau until the finalisation of the case.
“Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is prosecuting Mr. Charles Mchacha for influencing public officers to perform their functions to process a lease of land in the name of Charles Mchacha for protected land situated at Kanjedza Forest Reserve,” reads part of the statement.
Mchacha’s case began when the ACB received a complaint on February 12, 2020, alleging that the Department of Lands had leased the plot to him without following proper procedures.
It has been ongoing, with the High Court in Lilongwe previously adjourning the hearing to December 12, 2022, to allow the defense to review documents presented by the state.
During the investigation, former Natural Resources Minister Binton Kumtsaira, who was the fourth state witness, denied granting Mchacha consent to acquire the land.
