Muluzi trial to conclude by April 22 as K1.7bn reduced by K100m so far
The High Court is expected to conclude the alleged corruption trial of former president Bakili Muluzi by April 22 2016 with any extensions restricted to the first week of May.
The case dates back to 2006 and has now taken about 10 years due to numerous adjournments mainly attributed to the former president’s ill health.
Muluzi and his former personal assistant Violet Whiskey are facing charges as former president was in possession of “pecuniary resources” amounting to K1 740 166 712. 32 which the state suspected to have been corruptly acquired wanted a reasonable explanation in relation to the amount.
So far after first prosecution witness, Victor Banda, over K100 million has been deducted from the K1.7 billion as there was no indication it was corruptly acquired.
The money was deposited into Muluzi’s account between March 4 1999 and July 21 2001 by Ntaja Trading and Distributors (the former president’s company), Loita Investment Bank (from fixed deposit) and Kalaria Wholesalers, amounting to K20 million.
In charging Muluzi, the state claimed the money was from donors. It is yet to be seen if the rest of the money came from Malawi donors into Muluzi’s personal account.
The defence led by private practice lawyer Tamanda Chokhotho argued that in investigating Muluzi, the State deliberately excluded other sources of income such as Ntaja Trading and Distributors which was making a monthly turnover of more than K1 billion, Keza Properties and Atupele Properties
Chokotho said the defence will have to “make calculations” , which will be done at the time they are making submissions in order to know the exact amount struck off from the K1.7 billion, saying they are going through “transaction by transaction ” and pointed out that at the end of the trial, they may not have any figure at all.
The court adjourned on Friday around 11:45am following a proposal from both sides to allow Muluzi to attend prayers and the case, which dates back to 2006, resumes at 9:00am on Monday.
oh my foot!!! politics, politics, gv will never learn from past issues, if muluzi will be aquited then we HV problems in this country. one may wonder why the case has taken so long, what the case involving cassim chilumpha who wanted to assassinate bingu, its all politics, politics, but one day no matter how long it may take will pay for this this bad behavior
This system yakuba adayamba ndi Kamuzu anakhala pampando zaka 30 yekha anali minister of finance palibe ankamufutsa kuti bwana Kodi ndalama zachoka ku IMF zalowela kuti amazibwezeratso kwa azungu konko.Bakili anangokopela ndimesa amaona mmene Kamuzu ankabela ndalama za boma. zikanakhala kuti ndalama za boma pa zaka 30 zinka gwira ntchito zoyenelera bwezi Malawi atatukuka. Atabwera Bingu chimonzi monzitso. Tiyeni a Malawi tiyamba kusintha po ganiza for the best future of our poor Malawi.
It is april fool ikno it.
JUSTICE DELAYED !!9
JUSTICE DELAYED !!
JUSTICE DENIED !!
JUSTICE DENIED !!
Before deducting any money from the lump sum allegedly stolen, review tax records from each of Muluzi’s companies, to verify the incomes indeed came from the companies so far listed. How come the prosecutor after all these years, did not know if the defense knew about Muluzi’s other companies as the source of some of the monies? This case should cost Bingu Mutharika’s estate rather than Malawians, since the prosecutor is already signaling the government has no case. Shame, what a waste of tax payers time, money ( no one knows where it will come from since the government is… Read more »
This is a waste of resources snd time. You leave Bingu with K61 billion andand Ndata and chase 1.7billion.
Were the countries official donors or were Moslem countries helping a fellow Moslem?
THAT MEANS ALL PRESIDENTS OF MALAWI ARE JUST THE SAME WHEN WE TALK OF CORRUPTION THEY WANT TO BE COME RICH OVER NIGHT THATS WHY OUR COUNTRY IS TO DEVELOP JUST LOOK AT MOZAMBIQUE THERE WERE IN A WAR FOR A LONG TIME BUT THEY ARE BETTER OFF THAN US MALAWI LETS BE EXAMPLARY WHEN IT COMES TO CORRUPTION ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO VIP PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT
O………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………O . . . Did the judge not know that on Fridays Muluzi mosques? Why scheduling the case for Friday knowing well it would be adjourned for Muluzi to attend prayers? Laziness, right? Everybody knows that this trial is simply a masquerade . . . . . .Thus, no matter how hard you try to make it look real, it still lacks verisimilitude. It is a known secret that . . . . . . The marriage between UDF and DPP is for the DPP-led govt to have Muluzi’s corruption case dropped. However, since govts change; the only permanent hence… Read more »
In total the money to be retrieved from these leaders cum thieves is 628.7 billion plus interest. We are just worried that these issues are treated as common cases, but how many have died of hunger, diseases, how lost their chances to education. The cases of Muluzi, Cash gate1 by Bingu wa Mutharika and cash gate 2 by Joyce Banda must have its special court that must be concluded as a matter of urgency so that the money must be returned into the treasury for the suffering citizens. Join us in our campaign for the recovery of this stolen money… Read more »