Chazama threatened me – says State witness in DPP-era immigration recruitment corruption saga case underway in court
The Magistrate Court in Blantyre has adjourned to 26 September a case involving former Homeland Security Minister Cecilia Chazama and six others who are answering criminal charges emanating from corruption involving hiring 127 unqualified Immigration Assistants.
Shire Times reported the saga in 2022 as below:
Chief Resident Magistrate, Chisomo Msokera, said the case has been adjourned to next month after a former Immigration Principal Human Resources Officer, Daston Manda, concluded testifying against the accused.
Manda informed the court that after successful candidates were picked to start work at the department, Chazama personally called and threatened to deal with him after he informed her that out of the 18 names that she submitted through the office of the Director General, only six were considered for the job.
Manda further informed the court that two days later, he was transferred from the Department of Immigration to the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, the defence has asked the state for more disclosures which Resident Magistrate Msokera said he will give his determination within seven days.
In his earlier testimony, Manda implicated former cabinet ministers during the Democratic Progressive Party rule and statehouse officials as among other people who submitted names to cut corners for employment at the Immigration Department.
