Judge set July 8 to rule on Muluzi’s bond before travelling to UK for medical
High Court Judge, Justice Edward Twea has set July 8 to rule whether former president Dr Bakili Muluzi sign US$ 12 million bond and have his properties seized or not before he is allowed to travel for a medical checkup in the United Kingdom.
Muluzi – Malawi’s Head of State from 1994 to 2004 – is asked to explain the K1.4 billion ($12 million) which was deposited in his account from Libya and Taiwan when he was President.
Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sought the court order to impose a bond which Muluzi should accent, of a non-cash amounting to $12 million to ensure he returns from UK.
The graft busting body seized Muluzi’s property which includes 150 vichicles, Keza office complex which he sold to businessman Muhammed Nadhi and his BCA residence. His bank accounts have also been frozen.
“We want Muluzi to sign for a non-cash bond of 12 million (8.6 million euros). We want the whole nation to be in peace that Muluzi will come back,” Alex Nampota director of ACB who is leading the prosecution said.
The former Malawi president was expected to have a health check last week in UK on his slip disc problem which he was operated on in 2006 but was stopped after the Bureau seized his passport.
ACB acted after Chief Immigration Officer Elvis Thodi claimed in a sworn affidavit that Muluzi planned to bolt from the prosecution of the graft charges.
Nampota said the Bureau is not taking any chance “on the possibility that Muluzi might abscond.”.
Muluzi through his lawyers challenged the order describing it as “oppressive”.
The lawyers ask the court to dissolve the order and allow Muluzi to travel and treat the former president as a suspect and not a convict.
The anti-graft body briefly arrested Muluzi in 2006 on 42 counts of corruption, but all the charges, except for the K1.4 billion donor money, were dropped for lack of evidence.
The then ACB director Gustav Kaliwo summoned the former president to the Bureau’s offices in Blantyre where he was slapped with a charge relating to this issue.
Soon after that, Mutharika suspended Kaliwo who later resigned. A few days later, the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Ishmael Wadi, issued a discontinuance certificate. Wadi was thereafter forced to resign.
Government claims that the former Malawi ruler diverted donor money from Taiwan and Libya into his personal, private bank account in Zomba.
However, the Taiwanese and Libyans who had embassies in Malawi when Muluzi was president, were all booted out of the country by Mutharika.
Both the Taiwanese and Libyans were asked by the Mutharika government to testify against Muluzi by, among other things, signing sworn affidavits implicating the former president.
When both the Taiwanese and Libyans refused to do so, Mutharika ordered their expulsion from Malawi.
The lawyers for Muluzi have said the former president does not deny being a rich man, but that he was already a very successful businessman before becoming president.
The government has never been able to show how Muluzi’s substantial personal estate was a result of self-enrichment through corrupt methods.
Muluzi who is yet to make a plea, denies any wrong doing.
Tagged with: ACB, Muluzi, Nampota
If Muluzi is going to come back from the UK, why cant he just sign the bond? Is August far? ACB please do not let him go without signing that bond. If it is dying because of the slipping discs, let him die, burial or cremation we will do. This issue is very serious because the money in question concerns the whole nation and the amount is big.
My opinion is that is Muluzi has a case to aswer let him do so and should abide to all procedures as stipulated. This is control at the same time to all other leader (Presidents -starting with Bingu) that will be there. But if Muluzi is left out in the name of forgiveness, Malawians should know that development will just be a game of words and not in reality because AZINGOZIKUNDIKILA CHUMA ANTHUWA OVUTIKA NDIFEYO ABALE. Let the law take its course without looking at who has comitted it. The delay on Muluzi’s cases is purely from his camp because they had been playing delaying tacticks. I think no matter how long you can hold the case it will still come to pass, it is better to have it done and done once for all. Muluzi himself is to blame for the delay, sorry.
Inu zinazi we have to be realistic in the first place.How much does a malawian president get per month to amass such a fortune in a very short period of time?? If Muluzi and this malawian politicians really did some dodgy ways of acquiring their wealth aliyense afufuzidwe..coz it seems these people joins politics kuzatibera amalawi osauka ndi kale.Zimagalimoto 150 for munthu modzi doesn’t make any sense…chuma chake chiti??All along he had a failed jakumusi busline business and you end up lying to us that he was already rich, but not rich that way.In future malawi needs clean politicians otherwise zonyengelera anthu izi is not helping malawi which is already one of poorest nations on earth planet.Anthuwa they don’t deserve kulemera kwanjira yimeneyi…they have done nothing to deserve all these things ntchito kufufuta ma evidence akaba taking themselves to be untouchable and clever.Mulungu akulangani even though you are going to clever on yourfellow human beings.
There are some commentators here who seem to advocate that although Bakili Elison Muluzi seemed to have dipped his hands in the government coffers, they are of the opinion that he should be forgiven.
For heavens sake why only this individual/citizen(Bakili) be forgiven when there are thousands and thousands of other citizens languishing in our notorious jails for committing lesser crimes than the K1.7 billion Bakili is alleged to have stollen???
This case should find its natural end through the courts…. so that the future Bakilis (presidents),like Bingu, will learn a lesson not to steal from the public coffers.
This is not politics……its just a criminal justice proceedure followed by our courts and can happen to Bingu after 2014 should he dip his hands in public coffers as well.
I have never seen a cruel person like Bingo who doesnt have humanism.I think he could have emulate good theory good retire and good rest and still want to gain political milege.He have completly forget everything what Muluzi did for him and is now busy try to kill him.I dont know what really Bingo want from Muluzi. our president for me i will go to Malawi only when he is out of the power.Steal or know he could just leave him as he is no longer threat to him.What he want know.From minibus owner hand picked to state owner in appriciate do all this.Like this its like a father brought up a child and later abandone the father coz he is now old you may win at first but God will not allow this.Late us wait and see.
Let Tcheya prove his innoncense in the court and the only way of ensuring that he will return is for him to sign the bond. I quite agree with the fears raised by Nampota that he might seek assylum outside the country which will make impossible to prosecute him. This man knows what he has done and is very much afraid to face the music but it is the will of us all malawians to see muluzi face a fair trial and a conviction will be a win of good governance. But lets allow him to go for medical cheak up so that he should be fit when facing the trial and even when saving a possible prison sentance may be it might be as the one Mardoff has been given
l wish you well Dr Muluzi. l’m sure (you remember the encounter with me years ago, (pre- udf, but in the process of founding party!)Less said, and all that!!! Anyway, you are Big still the way u handled election results, lets hope ur contribution will be very much taken into account. IT’S POLITICS.
Allan Maviga…with your pathetic english, you seem to be a mysterious uneducated vendor/Young Democrat who benefitted from achairs 10 years missrule.
Give us facts about his innocence, not your kind of rubbish.
What is happenig to Bakili now, can as well happen to Bingu after 2014, should he embezzle public funds.
So here again, its not politics, its a crime Bakili is alleged to have committed while in office.
amalawi, nthawi yomweyi mwaiwalira. magalimoto aja ankanyamula ujeni aja kumabwelelera nazo zijaji. what is needed is just to sign the bond. afunseni amwene chiluba.
nampo,,go ahead,,thodi, ndiwe wekha….