Chief Resident Magistrate (CRM) Madalitso Chimwaza Monday committed proceedings to the High Court in a case involving K5 billion alleged fraud at the disposed of Malawi Savings Bank (MSB).

This case involves Leston Mulli, Lloyd Muhara and Cliff Kenneth Chiunda, who were arrested in July 2022 and were given bail.

Addressing the court, Chimwaza said the three will be answering two charges in the High Court Commercial division.

She said the first count is conspiracy to defraud, in line with Section 323 of the Penal Code.

"The particulars of the offence involve the three that on or around the month of March 2019 in the city of Lilongwe, the three conspired to defraud the MSB debt collection company of money amounting to K5 billion.

"The second count is also that of conspiracy to defraud. Where Lloyd Muhara and Cliff Kenneth Chiunda at the same time and place as stated in the first count being employed in the public service as Chief Secretary to the Government and Secretary to the Treasury respectively, in abuse of authority of their offices, arbitrarily signed a consent order dated March 8 2019 in the case between Mulli Brothers Ltd and MSB debt collection company purporting themselves to be a shareholder in the MSB debt collection when they were not and purporting to allow Mulli Brothers Ltd to be paying K5 million per month to MSB debt collection towards payment of a loan of K5 billion," Chimwaza said.

In an interview after the proceedings, State Lawyer Dzikondianthu Malunda said it is up to the High Court to decide how the case will proceed.

"The CRM court has finally committed this matter to the High Court with two offences to be answered. The case will proceed from there once all court submissions have been done, " Malunda said.

Defence lawyers were not available to comment on the matter.