The National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) lost approximately K700 million to cybercriminals who impersonated Mozhandling Limited, according to Nyasa Times. The fraudsters intercepted emails and provided forged banking documents, leading Nocma to instruct the National Bank of Malawi to transfer the funds to a fraudulent account. The scam was discovered weeks later when the legitimate Mozambican firm demanded its payment, prompting an ongoing police investigation to trace the missing funds.
In a separate development, former National Water Resources Authority Chief Executive Officer Dwight Kambuku was arrested following an investigation by the National Audit Office, Nyasa Times reports. Kambuku is currently being held at the Area 6 Fiscal Police in Lilongwe. His legal counsel, Chrispine Ndalama, criticized the authorities, stating that police bypassed proper legal procedures by detaining his client without first securing a formal arrest warrant for the alleged abuse of office.
Meanwhile, Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate Bracious Kondowe has granted bail to lawyer George Jivason Kadzipatike, who surrendered to authorities after police and the Malawi Revenue Authority searched his office, according to Nation Online. Kadzipatike, who also serves as a legislator and Malawi Congress Party director of legal affairs, was released on a K2.5 million cash bond. He has not yet been formally charged as the revenue authority requested additional time to finalize its disclosures.
In the High Court, Attorney General Frank Mbeta cross-examined an expert witness over a K1.1 trillion damages claim filed by the defunct Finance Bank of Malawi, Nyasa Times reports. The case stems from the Reserve Bank of Malawi revoking the commercial bank's operating license in 2005. Mbeta challenged the financial calculations presented by the plaintiff's adviser, arguing to the court that the requested compensation figures were based on assumptions rather than concrete evidence.