Former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) Director General George Kasakula and former Director of Finance Jack Kamwachale appeared in the Senior Resident Magistrate's Court in Blantyre on Friday to face charges of abuse of office and conspiring to defraud, according to Nyasa Times. Senior Resident Magistrate Asunta Maxwell granted the pair bail on several conditions, including a K350,000 cash bond, a K2 million non-cash bond, and the surrender of their travel documents, Face of Malawi reports. The accused are also required to report to the police every two weeks.
The charges follow a Malawi Police Service investigation into suspected financial mismanagement at the state broadcaster between July 2021 and December 2025. According to National Police spokesperson Lael Chimtembo, the probe includes allegations that the officials approved unauthorized payments for Kasakula and his family to stay in a presidential suite at a Lilongwe hotel. Nyasa Times adds that investigators are also examining claims that commercial advertisements were aired without payment to MBC, as well as irregularities surrounding the purchase of a vehicle.
In a separate legal development, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is preparing to discontinue a case against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regional governor for the South, Charles Mchacha. The Atlas Malawi reports that the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe will hear an application to discharge the case on March 25. Mchacha was arrested in 2021 on charges of abuse of public office, theft, and money laundering linked to allegations that K539,000 in public funds were used to pay for a honeymoon at Ryalls Hotel in Blantyre.
The planned discharge comes amid recent controversy involving Mchacha. According to The Atlas Malawi, the Civil Society Elections Integrity Forum recently condemned the politician for allegedly storming the ACB offices in Blantyre to intimidate anti-corruption officers. Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe warned that such actions cause disruption and threaten the independence of anti-corruption governance efforts.