HIGH COURT START TO GIVE CASHGATEBUSES

High court gives govt cashgate buses The Lilongwe high court on Wednesday ruled that government should take full control of six Marcopolo buses seized from capital hill officials.The Marcoporo buses are valued at K520 million and their procurement was facilitated by former chief tourism officer in the ministry of tourism, Leonard Kalonga.Cashgate busesCashgate buses now under control of government.Following the arrest of Kalonga, the state prosecutor demanded that the buses are to be kept with the police so that they should be used as evidence in the court case.Last year, the court convicted Kalonga on his own plea of guilty for stealing K3.7 billion ($6.3 million).After the conviction, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) deputy director general Reyneck Matemba said they were to wait for legal ruling to dispose of the buses.In her ruling, Judge Fiona Mwale said government should take full control of the buses that were bought using taxpayers’ money.Confirming the development, Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula said the ruling will help government in recovering money that was stolen from the public purse.“This is one way of recovering money that was stolen and it is up to the government to decide what to do with the buses,” said Mvula.The six buses had been stationed at area 30 Police headquarters in the capital city Lilongwe since 2013.