On 29th November, 2023, the Senior Resident Magistrate in Mzuzu convicted Ernest Phambala on three counts of corruption. He was sentenced to twenty-four months imprisonment with hard labour but the sentence was suspended for three years.
This follows an investigation into allegation which the Bureau received on 16th June 2021, alleging that Ernest Phambala offered the Officer-In-Charge (O/C) for Karonga Police Station, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Tiyese Chiumbuzo, the sum of K204,000.00 as an inducement for him to release a vehicle (Nissan Dualis) that the police had confiscated to force Mr Phambala to appear at Karonga Police Station to answer allegations of smuggling of immigrants that had been reported against him.
The investigations established that Ernest Phambala sent K204,000.00 to DCP Tiyese Chiumbuzo through mobile money so that the DCP should release the confiscated vehicle.
The Bureau arrested Ernest Phambala and charged him with three counts of corrupt practices with a public officer, inducing a public officer to perform his functions corruptly and inducing a public officer to abuse public office contrary to section 24 (2), 25A (2) and 25(B) (2) of the Corrupt Practices Act, respectively.
EGRITA M. NDALA
PRINCIPAL PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FOR: DIRECTOR GENERAL
