Interpol puts Malawi’s Pika Manondo on ‘wanted’ list: Suspect in Mphwiyo shooting saga
Pika Manondo, one of the suspects in the shooting of the Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo have been placed on international police organisation Interpol’s wanted list.
Interpol has posted on its website Pika Pascal Manondo as being “wanted by the judicial authorities of Malawi for prosecution/to serve a sentence.”
The notice says the 38-year-old Manondo is being wanted on charges of attempted murder as provided by requesting entity.
Other particulars on the notice include his picture, year and date of birth which is July 4, 1975, place of birth which is Lilongwe District, the languages he speaks which include Chichewa, English and Nyanja and his nationality.
His physical description is listed as black hair and black eyes.
“If you have any information please contact your national or local police,” reads the notice issued by the Interpol General Secretariat.
Malawi Police has so far arrested three people connected to the shooting. The three are McDonald Kumwembe, Robert Kadzuwa and Dauka Manondo.
Dauka Manondo , a brother to Pika, was arrested after he reportedly deposited K300 000 into a bank account of one of the initial suspects, McDonald Kumwembe a former military soldier.
Soon after Mphwiyo’s shooting government said he was targeted because of his fight against corruption and fraud, but other reports have revealed an existence of a syndicate that has been swindling government through illegal encashment of government cheques.
Other reports have indicated that the shooting was a result of a deal gone sour and linked the incident to senior government officials including ministers.
The Minister of Justice Ralph Kasambara and private lawyer Wapona Kita, who are believed to have connections to Manondo and the shooting, last week came out through the press to distance themselves from the incident as well as Manondo.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is said to have since intensified investigations on the entire public service with reports also indicating that government has since abandoned the government payment system the Integrated Financial Information Management System (IFMIS) pending the outcome of the investigations.
On Friday major development partners including the USA, United Kingdom, the European Union and five others called on government to conduct thorough investigation over the corruption reports surrounding the shooting.
A statement signed by eight of the donor countries said the country’s partners were greatly concerned about the reports and offered that if Malawi needs any assistance in the investigations, the donors are willing to assist.
“These are worrying developments that potentially risk Malawi’s stability, rule of law and reputation. We urge swift and credible investigations that leave no stone unturned, allowing the investigating authorities to act without fear, intimidation or hindrance,” reads the statement.
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