Africa-Press – Malawi. State witness in the case in which Democratic Progressive Party vice president for the Central Region Alfred Gangata is accused of using a fake Malawi School certificate of Education (MSCE) certificate, Andrew Phambala, says K4 million which the accused allegedly promised to give him to sit examinations for him was too tantalising to reject.
Phambala said this during cross-examination at the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court.
During the day, defence lawyers Gilbert Khonyongwa, Stanley Chirwa and Kalekeni Kaphale quizzed Phambala on various issues surrounding the case.
Among other things, Khonyongwa asked Phambala to confirm that he lied in his statement that he told the police that he was a businessperson while he was a teacher by profession.
Khonyongwa also asked Phambala to confirm that he disguised himself as Gangata when collecting the said MSCE certificate.
On his part, defence lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale asked Phambala why he was compelled to commit the offence.
He also asked the State witness if teachers are trained in teachers’ training colleges to be lying when involved in some situations.
In response, Phambala said he was tempted to sit the examinations for Gangata as the offer was irresistible.
“The package was so tantalizing that even you [Kaphale] could not say ‘no’. Then, , then (2018) K4 million was a huge sum of money,” Phambala said.
He also said he lied to the police that he was a businessperson to prevent his arrest.
“No, teachers are not trained to lie. I only lied because of that situation,” he said.
Afterwards, Kaphale asked the court to adjourn the case to a later date to allow the defence to acquire some documents from the Malawi National Examinations Board.
“These documents are needed so that we can continue cross examining the witness,” he said.
Although the State expressed worry that the adjournment would delay the case, Chief Resident Magistrate Austin Banda granted the request and adjourned the case to a later date.
In an interview after the adjournment of the case, defence lawyer Zwelithini Chipembere said “the ultimate goal of the court is to ensure justice and for that to happen, we need those documents. So, we cannot put the interest of justice at the altar of speed if it has to take a little more time to deliver justice then that should happen”.
Gangata was arrested earlier this year over the offence in which Phambala is alleged to have sat examinations in 2018.
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