Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda in Lilongwe on Friday granted bail to the six people who were arrested during the festive season for allegedly printing fake K1.1 billion Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) receipts.

The court ordered each of them to pay K1 million cash and K10 million non-cash surety and further ordered them to report to Police headquarters every fortnight.

The bail conditions further bar the six from being found within MRA premises and Melton Hardware shops.

According to particulars of the offence, McDonald Takumana and Ali Wisky, being servants employed by Melton Hardware as Sales Clerk and Accounts Assistant in 2023 in Lilongwe, respectively, with intent to defraud, were privy to make a false transaction by printing out false MRA receipts and issuing them to the business owners without making sales for their own benefit, amounting to K1.1 billion.

The other offence is that Takumana and Wisky allegedly stole K1.1 billion belonging to Melton Hardware and that Takumana, Wisky, Kalindo Juma Golosi, Austin Ching'ani, Firstday Ching'ani and George Maseko conspired together to defraud Melton Hardware by printing out K1.1 billion MRA receipts without making any sales.