Airtel Experts Analyzing Communication Web Of Mphwiyo Shooting Suspects

• Three Airtel Experts Appears in Lilongwe High Court for Call logs
• They are identifying exact locations where the suspects were communicating and phone numbers used

Three telecommunication savvy’s from Airtel Malawi were in Lilongwe High Court starting on Thursday to interpret call logs presented previously by one of the lead investigator Kankhwala Chilinda in attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder of the former Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo.

The three officials expected to continue their examination in chief this Friday, were explaining how the system identify network tower being used and recognize the subject making call or receiving a call.

Among others, they were revealing places where the suspects might have been when they were making their communication prior to the shooting of Paul Mphwiyo and after he was shot.

From the call logs which have different phone numbers of Mphwiyo shooting suspects and phone serial numbers, are indicating how some suspects were communicating from various places and exact dates and time including the length of the call. The call logs are also indicating that some suspects prior to Mphwiyo shooting began their communication even from Bvumbwe tower in the southern region, some places in Blantyre, Namadzi in Zomba, in Dedza Central region and some places around Lilongwe and at Bwandilo market in area 47.

One call log traces moving subject from Bvumbwe in constant contacts with a person in Lilongwe and the following day such persons called each other using one network tower located at Bwandilo in Lilongwe.

Other call logs dated between 12^th and 13^th September 2013, the further indicates that such suspects had communication using network towers of city centre, Capital Hill tower and Area 43 network tower.

However, it was explained that there are no machines that record conversations of individuals which could be used to listen to what the said numbers were trying to communicate at that time.

After examination in chief finishes this Friday, the defense is expected to begin and possibly finish with their cross examination on the same day.

Airtel experts are part of state witnesses because are the people who originated the call log documents therefore are in better place to tender the documents in court to show that they released actual documents and are the ones who originated the documents. Though Airtel had given such documents to the police but criminal law would not allow police to tender such evidence to prevent issues of forgery and tampering.