The French Cultural Centre (FCC), now Blantyre Cultural Centre, theft case which was being heard at the Dalton Court in Limbe has now come to a close after key suspect William Maulana was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment with hard labour last week.

Court documents indicate that the ruling and judgment was made last week by Magistrate Kingsley Mulungu.

27-year-old Maulana was arrested after Limbe Police conducted investigations following an inquiry by the BNL Times into how the former entertainment mecca had been looted.

Maulana, who hails from Mangile Village in Traditional Authority Chilikumwendo in Dedza, was accused of having broken into the FCC building and committed a felony therein.

A source at the court also said that someone by the name of Moses, who was a guard at the once mighty entertainment centre was involved in the theft but the police failed to find him.

The case has been running since last year and several people were questioned during the hearing including music promoter Jai Banda, who turned into a state witness and the police recovered from him a Soundcraft mixer and power supply cables, which he is said to have bought from the looters.

During the investigations, Limbe Police also confiscated items from 48-year-old Pastor Kenneth Dickson of Hope for All Nations in Ndirande.

From the pastor, the police recovered a Yamaha drum set, microphone and bongos.

FCC had one of the best equipment in the country which government acquired after it bought the bought the centre from the French government at a cost of K300 million.

The equipment total cost was K20 million.