Suspended National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) Chief Executive Officer Humphreys Mdyetseni and Department of Irrigation engineer Anderson Mbozi have been formally charged before the Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court. Mdyetseni is facing two counts of abuse of office, while both accused are jointly charged with one count of money laundering.
According to court documents, Mdyetseni is alleged to have laundered approximately K11 billion between April 2024 and 2025. The State further accuses him of abusing his office in connection with administrative and procurement decisions made during his tenure at NEEF.
The abuse-of-office charges include the alleged unfair dismissal of his personal assistant, Prisca Mtewa, who reportedly received K150 million under circumstances the prosecution considers irregular. He is also accused of purchasing two buildings valued at K1.6 billion each without adhering to established public procurement procedures.
Defence lawyers George Jivason Kadzipatike and Jefferson Luwa applied for bail on behalf of the accused. The State, represented by Principal State Advocate Festus Sakanda, assisted by Mphatso Partridge, did not object to bail but pressed for stringent conditions to ensure compliance with court processes.
Magistrate Shukulani Kumbani granted bail to both accused persons. The conditions include a cash bond of K1 million each, one surety bonded at K10 million, declaration of property valued at not less than K80 million, surrender of travel documents, and mandatory reporting to police every fortnight.
The court further ordered the accused to disclose all registered property as part of the bail terms, a move the State argued was necessary given the magnitude of the alleged financial transactions involved in the case.
Meanwhile, defence counsel Luwa indicated that the defence team is prepared to proceed with trial. The court has directed the State to provide full disclosures to the defence by March 16 to enable commencement of proceedings.
Mdyetseni was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Economic Empowerment Fund in 2020, where he oversaw its transition from the former Malawi Enterprise Development Fund. The matter has been adjourned pending compliance with disclosure requirements and further directions from the court.
