Businessman fined for accusing police officer of stealing money

Mchinji first grade magistrate court has ordered a renowned businessman in the district to pay a fine of K10,000 for claiming that four police officers stole his K15 million.

The court through state prosecutor sergeant Chipiliro Kalimira heard that the businessman commonly known as Chitipa but whose real name is Eckson Mbughi, 31, was arrested last week together with two other people.

On June 24, Mbughi sent two of his employees Limbani Guma, 43, and his driver Wedi Mulenga, 26, to Lilongwe to collect cash amounting to K1.5 million.

On their way back home, the two men were stopped by police who said the men did not comply with traffic regulations by failing to stop when signalled to stop by traffic police officers who were conducting routine traffic checks at Kapanila village within the district.

The two were later confronted at Kamwendo Roadblock over their behaviour as the police claimed the driver also conducted himself in a manner that was likely to cause a breach of peace.

This prompted the police to detain him and impound the motor vehicle.

Later on his colleague Guma took the bag containing the money and delivered it to the owner Mbughi.

The businessman later claimed that the police officers who impounded the car had stolen the money.

Police investigated the issue and it was later discovered that the man just wanted to wrongly accuse the police officers for impounding his vehicle.

This revelation prompted the state to charge Mbughi, Faina Kilembe and the driver Mulenga with giving false information to a person employed in the public service which is contrary to section 122 (b) of the penal code.

Mbughi and the other two admitted the charge before His Worship First Grade Magistrate Major Phiri who found all of them guilty of the charge.

In his judgement, his worship Phiri stated that the act in which the convicts portrayed damaged personal character of the officers concerned thereby denting the image of the whole Malawi Police Service.

He therefore imposed a maximum fine for the offence which is K10,000 for each convict while the driver was also fined K80,000 for failing to comply with traffic regulations.