A court in Lilongwe has granted bail to Norman Chisale, the ex-bodyguard of former President Peter Mutharika.
Chisale who has been charged with two counts of fraud and money laundering was arrested on Tuesday.
He arrived at the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court today in handcuffs and carrying a bible in his hands.
There was heavy security at the court following the assault on Journalists during Chisale’s first court appearance on Wednesday.
When granting bail to Chisale, Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Violet Chipawo said Chisale should pay K10 million bond, present two sureties, present a K50 million non-cash bond and be reporting to the National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe every two weeks.
Chisale’s charges relate to the importation of free duty cement worth K5 billion.
Over 1.2 million bags of cement were imported duty free between 2018 and 2019 with Mutharika’s Taxpayer Identification Number (TPIN) being used in importation.
The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), on three occasions, gave State House the go ahead to clear the cement duty free.
Businessperson Mohammed Shafee Ahmed Chunara of Prestige Import and Export told police that the imports were initiated by State House officials.
