Mutharika denies benefitting from ‘dirty money’, says K145m from Karim was DPP donation
Following Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report that President Peter Mutharika may have benefitted from K145 million that a supplier deposited in a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) account for which he is the sole signatory, State House has issued a statement to clarify that the money was among donations for the party headquarters project.
Presidential spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani said in the statement that the Standard Bank account of the party which Mutharika is a sole signatory was for the construction project of party headquarters.
“The DPP has several other accounts in its name for party operations,” said Kalilani.
He confirmed that Mutharika opened the account in 2015, a year after assuming office but clarified that “it is a DPP headquarters construction project account.”
According to State House, the banking transaction in question happened two years later, in 2017.
The November 2017 ACB report says a day after the supplier Pioneer Investments—a firm owned by Zameer Karim – deposited K2.793 billion payment from Police for supplying 500 000 ration packs, the company transferred K145 million to the DPP Standard Bank account 014003192200 on April 13 2016.
Kalilani said President Mutharika is the sole signatory to the account “to ensure that funds in that account are used effectively towards the said construction project.”
The statement said the account received donations from well -wishers for that purpose.
“All withdraws from that account are used for the project and the party. His Excelkency Prif, Arthur Peter Mutharika has never personally benefitted from funds in that account.
“All transactions in that account are documented and the party has receipts for them,” reads the statement in part.
State House maintains that there is character assassination campaign against President Mutharika and the DPP from a disgruntled politician who is using his surrogates in some churches, the media and other state agencies.
In apparent reference to Vice-President Saulos Chilima, the statement said the politician has been making “Innuendos and soeaking in parables” to scandalide Mutharika and DPP.
ACB director Reyneck Matemba confirmed the probe into allegations of fraudulent transactions in ration packs contract between the Police and Pioneer.
State House said Mutharika had no knowledge of the ACB probe, saying he has nothing to hide and is “calling upon the ACB to thoroughly and professionally investigate the said business transaction.”
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Do Malawians expect that Peter Mutharika would accept wrongdoing. In any case he has stolen much more than the MK145million so this is like change. It is a fact the whole DPP is heavily corrupt and the sad part is that they protect each other. DPP is made up of mbava zokha zokha. The reason why corruption is flourishing in Malawi is that its people are fast sleeping. The poor and uneducated villagers are basically running the country. These are the people whose votes matter. In as long as they have the power to vote; these poor and uneducated people will keep determining who runs the country. This is the disease we have in Malawi. Those of us who know better, will keep barking but the elephant will keep walking plundering as it wishes and with impunity.
MALAWIANS,IF NOW YOU DO NOT LEARN FROM MUTHALIKA THE ONLY OUR OMNIPOTENT GOD WILL DECEND ON US AND TEACH US A LESSON.FIRST IT WAS BANDA,WE EMBRACED AND ADOLLED THE THUG WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHO HE WAS,WHERE DID HE COME FROM,WHO WERE HIS PARENTS,YOU JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE THUG AND YOU SAW FOR YOURSELF WHAT HE DID TO YOU.THEN OTHER ROGUES CAME,IN THE NAMES OF BINGU AND PETER MUTHALIKA,AS USUAL YOU FELL IN LOVE JUST BECAUSE OF MWANA WA KWATHU,YOU HAVE SEEN HOW YOUR SONS HAVE DONE,MY FELLOW MALAWIANS,INDEED NOW WE LOOK MORONS.LOOK AT THE MCP,YOU HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH S.MIA YOU DO NOT KNOW EVEN HIS BACKGROUND,WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE YOU? FOR HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO BE THE LOUGHING STOCK OF AFRICA AND POLITICAL LEPERS OF THE WORLD? IF TRIBALISM IS YOUR POLITICAL ARSENAL,THEN YOU HAVE GOT IT.YOU WILL BE RULED BY ANYONE BESIDES THE NORTHERNERS.SHAME ON YOU BECAUSE AS MUTHALIKA PUT IT,DPP IS GOING TO RULE UNTIL 2084 AND BECAUSE YOU ARE KAPUT UPSTAIRS,HE IS RIGHT.AND IF YOU DO NOT STOP THE POLITICS OF TRIBALISM,THEN GOD KNOWS.iT IS ALSO TRUE THAT EVEN AMWENYE WILL ONE DAY BE OUR PRESIDENT YOU SEE HOW THESE PEOPLE THE WAY THEY HAVE IMPRISONED OUR LEADERS BECAUSE OF MONEY.STOP TRIBALISM,ARAB AND AMWENYES,ARE NOT OUR PEOPLE,THEY CAME INTO OUR COUNTRY TO STEAL FROM US BECAUSE WE ARE NICOMPOOPS AND REMEMBER,THE SPIRITS OF OUR ANCESTORS AND FREEDOM FIGHTERS,WILL HAUNT US ALL FOR EVER BECAUSE OF OUR GREED AND HATEFULL FEELINGS AGAINST EACH OTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a golden hand shake from Karim for a contract deal with an inflated price for supplying food rations to ? police.
That’s the problem of deploying persons in more challenging positions than they deserve or than what they are actually capable of doing. What Mgeme is saying does not make sense at all.
Look, the president being a sole signatory to the bank account does not (ensure) guarantee money will be used effectively (for intended purpose). In fact it’s a recipe for disaster. LOOTING!!!
In fact, credible accountable transaction requires at least 3 signatories. Being president does mean one cannot STEAL. In fact that’s what is EXACTLY is the problem in Malawi. People who steal are in high position, magogo, matchona, supposedly have money and are part of the ruling elite or their cronies.
SHAME on MBAVA!!!
Ngakhale ma Khadeti akubvomeleza..apa ndiye katangale wanyanya! Mpaka mmwenye kupeleka 145 Million kwacha after getting paid from state coffers? What a donation! APM as a lawyer knows that this is corruption of the highest order. No wonder he wants another term….to get more donations!
Wakuba amavomera. Tawerenga report yonsetu. Account ya mmwenye wakubayu munalibe Ndalama. It was only after he got paid that he decided to pay you Gogo Mbava Pitala.
Adadi ndi sizinantoledi ndimangomva shaaaaaaa ndalama zanga koma ndiye zabedwa. Muthalika will be arrested on the 22 May, 2019 before announcement of results that Chakwera has won and kuzakhala exodus wakumaula kuti tikamuone sizinantole ameneyu.
Your Exellency Apa ndiye you have being caught pants down. Mmwenye akapereka donation ya 145m for nothing? No no no!!!!
Koma ndiye mupita ndi zochepatu. Osafuna amayi bwanji ukatswiri wa Cashgate. Just resign basi
This is state capture at its best….#zamutharika
Benefiting from proceeds of a serious crime. Opening a party account and being sole signatory. These are not things to be ignored. Consipiracy to defraud, Money laundering, Theft. Serious grounds for impeachment
What a country even mwenye buying the president with his own people’s tax payers money
Recommendation is to prosecute Botomani but not APM because he is protected by section 91.
This fully confirms that the theft taking place in government is engineered by ruling party. This is a crime, and the so called professor is telling everyone that the money was a donation? A donation from inflated price of ration? This president should be put in jail
Mr President, are you the only signatory to the DPP account??? I smell rotten fish
Hahaha u smell what ?
No comment.
kkkkk Ambwiye wa Jeffrey akuti ma Account wonse a DPP atowaziwa kupatulako iyiyi.Basi yikaneni Pajanso Achaponda amati Ndalama zija zinali za DPP.Muyaluka chaka chake ndi chino.
Whoever buys that nosense is a fool and a disgrace to the mother who gave birth to him or her. Is dpp Munthalika or Munthalika dpp? How could a whole law professor fail to understand that anybody or any company doing business with government can not donate to the ruling party?; that’s bribe or corruption at best. And how many companies or individuals in Malawi can afford a luxury of donating that much and expect nothing in return? Do politicians regard Malawians as humans with souls or lifeless objects that can not think? And why would pioneer only managed to donate to dpp after got paid from the state of which the authority is by the people deployed by the same dpp? Komatu tsiku lina zouluka zonse zidzatera.
Zuma was removed from office for less than this crime. The connection alone of being awarded a tender and then making a donation is in very bad faith. I say impeach Mutharika now
With more or less similar facta the then secretary to treasury lost his job and his career. Why should party matters be subject to a different financial management standard compared to government? Prudent financial matters require 1. Resolution of management to open a bank 2. Resolution as to who will be signatories to bank ac. 3. Requirement to have at least two signatories to all accounts
Kuna basi
Shame on Peter! Malawi doesn’t need a crook and untruthful leader like APM!! Kodi donation imkadikila kuti mupatsane ndalama za mitsonkho kuti ayipeleke? Neither fools nor wamisala can believe this!
Why divert our money crookedly like this and claim its a donation? Peter strongly believes he is too smart to hoodwink us all!! Morally, how do you feel when doing this?
Nawenso Kalilani ukutionjeza kwambiri? Are you DPP spokesperson? Where has DPP constructed the office? Who was the contractor?
When you say Munthalika had no knowledge of ACB’s probe, does he need to know everything ACB is doing? Why?
Now I can understand why Chilima said it is a mistake to give a president immunity!! This Peter thing is very stinking and as Malawian, I now feel he is not my president!!
Sincerely I am now made to believe that the key reason Kamuzu didn’t like the Muthalikas is this stealing habit!! APM is a thief and that is why he can’t agree that corruption is bad!! Peter is baddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
APM, just accept that you have been caught and pay back the money into the consolidated account. A party’s account being controlled by one person? Really? I have been saying that I am a Lohmwe but things are not okay. I hope the likes of Santana have believed me now. A country can not develop that way.
U are not clarifying as to why Zameer Karim deposited the money into that account. Nkhani iyiyi simunalongosole bwino, plus mukuyithawa. Why did he deposited stolen money into the DPP account.
So does the fact that the money was for the DPP and not the president imply that the transaction was not corruption? Pliz Mgeme and your gods have a muzichitako manyazi ndi zinazi. Who do you take Malawians for.
This Party of thieves is really taking us Malawians for fools. The President opened the account soon after descending into power ?????That’s pure corruption. Why him being a sole signatory. Why not appoint trustees and other people for transparency. If this was not leaked it was going to be a secret. This was initially denied. Then they said the signature was forged now you have the receipts for the construction project for DPP. Which projects? How much more has the President been benefiting from. Yet he is the one claiming to be fighting CORRUPTION. The President needs to step down with immediate effect to allow him to answer these serious allegations. Malawians please let’s not allow this to be swept under the carpet. Aba mokwanira. We cannot allow the country going backwards because of people who are corrupt. He needs to pave way . Enough of this .
Tsopano mukukana chani apa abale ndalama ndizakuba izi ngatidi zili za donation bwanji wapolisi uja akukana kuti sanasainire ndi iye koma signature yo ndiya forgery!!?????? Mubweze ndalama zo guys osati bodza li loti mwana wa zaka 4 nkuwauza abambo ake kuti papa you are lying kkkkkkkk
This guy is a thief. Stealing from our taxes through Indians and putting them in his pocket. What saddens me is that he is giving significant business to foreigners instead of his fellow Lomwes he claims he loves and heavily fovours.
This is the utmost display of stupidity done by any Malawian leadership. It would have been better to give that contract to Mchacha or Paipi so that they keep the proceeds within the country. Am sure all this money was externalised after paying zonyenyekazo kwa Pitala.
Peter Muthalika, if you hear me let me tell you that you are a very stupid person, a traitor of the highest grade. You are not worthy to live. We are gathering the storm against you. You will surely die from such robbery of the taxes paid by few sweating harrased Malawians. You have a shorter time to live. Foolish man not worthy to be called a President. Stupid.
Qualified admission not an honest admission after plunging into panic. Our leader is open he is a sole signatory to the account on the construction of the DPP headquarters. He doesn’t have adequate confidence in Chaponda and the crowd pay out for headquarters construction even more disturbing is sidelining Ben Phiri the accountability information has a lot of gaps and distortions. A critical look makes one feel the DPP is the most eager outfit in raising and raiding for funds from any sources it is for this reason the Indian owned companies tend to evade taxes and externalise our monies. Our political parties are crowded with chronic beggars armed with political tongues exuding stolen authority. Dr Chaponda has a comment on the rot of DPP fish from head to the tailfin. The correct story from the palace is shallow not picking the core information we need more
Donation after recieving payment from the contract awarded by the ruling party a good gesture to the beneficiary indeed why not donate before any contract conditions attached so how many of these well wishers if indeed they are made such an authentic gestures after benefiting from tax payers money?
FINALLY DPP’S DIRT IS BEING EXPOSED
I am disappointed with the direction our country is taking. We seem to tolerate and support nonsense and mediocrity. While the Kagames of this world are launching car assembly plants in their countries, creating jobs in the process, our president, if not syphoning money from unsuspecting Malawians, is busy laying foundation stones, some of them twice.
The explanation given by state house fails miserably to convince most Malawians of the sincerity of the transaction. By state house own admission, the DPP has other accounts in its name for party operations. Why didn’t the DPP just designate one of its many accounts for the party’s headquarters project? Is DPP the beneficiary of this account? I don’t think so. I am certain beyond reasonable doubt that this account was opened in the party’s name to hide the real beneficiary of the ‘generous contributions’ made to the “party”. Against good corporate governance, why make the president to sole signatory of this account? If the said account is DPP’s, can we have the minutes of the meeting which resolved that the party open this account and that the president be made the sole signatory?
I can now vividly understand the reluctance by the president to fire Chaponda and let the ACB do its work professionally without political interference. The thief in Chaponda had the audacity to tell Malawians that the money found in his house was DPP’s raised at some function. Please take note I am not saying Chaponda, but the thief in him. I know Chaponda is an honest man, but the thief in him is the problem. Well, can Chaponda come up with a list of contributors or well-wishers of the money found in his home? Considering that DPP has a number of bank accounts, including this new one for the party’s headquarters project, what made him take long to deposit the party’s funds? Does it make sense that while the party has such an enormous project, some senior party member should be keeping party funds in his house? The DPP’s cadres are so naïve as to corroborate Chaponda’s lie. By backing him they became accomplices in the crime. Can you see why they will have to do everything to stay in power?
If all transactions relating to this account are documented and the party has receipts, Malawians would love to see these documents from the day the account was opened to this day in order to satisfy themselves that the funds in this account are not for personal benefits as state house would want us believe. I can only imagine how much the other “Karims” of this country have deposited to this account. I bet they must be very handsome contributions.
This article raises the question, “what’s the difference between Joyce Banda allegedly receiving corrupt funds from Lutepo and Muthalika doing the same from Mr Karim”. Birds of a feather indeed. Unashamedly the same people want your vote to continue looting the country.
Can you see why we need laws to allow investigation and prosecution of a sitting president suspected to be corrupt? This will ensure that only upright Malawians put themselves up for election as president for the country.
Reading this story I am reminded of JB making a comment to the effect that if one steals and gives part of the loot to someone, the receiver of the loot is not guilty. I guess the same thinking applies to APM and DPP in this case.
Just as first ladies’ charities are shams for channeling corrupt money, so is this account. We have seen first ladies who not so long ago were paupers, are now constructing posh apartments which the most well paid CEO in Malawi cannot erect in such a short period. Malawians, what more do we need to change things?
Thief!! how does an acount belonging to a party have one signatory? efficiency yakutiko ? mukunena ndi ana???
Conflicting messages from the President and Secretary General of DPP. Who is telling the truth??? ………time to drain the swamp!!
a whooping 145million a donation??? Eeeish this country is rotten to the bone
Mbava ikulu chomene, makwinya pa nkhope kusonyeza kugwidwa tsembwe zitaululika.
Oh wow so it actually happened!! How come the Secretary General doesn’t know about this transaction???? She said she does not remember seeing this check ????…….mwana ndani?
That means dpp is a problem not petrol? Haha haha this party must go now
If the bank account is for the DPP party, how come is the bank account has only one signatory? At the time of material time (the time when APM opened the bank account), does it mean that DPP has no treasurer and Secretary General who could also be signatories to this account?
This was a pure cashgate that happened here. As Dr. Danwood Chirwa has said, ACB should immediately arrest Zeemar and Botomani and parliament should immediately start impeachment process for the current seating president. He must explain to Malawians what happened and how come he was the only signatory to the DPP Party Bank Account.
Did he open the Bank Account to siphon tax money for poor Malawians in the name of donations? He must explain vividly to Malawians. ACB, time is not on your side. You must act now and so the Parliament must convene an emergency meeting to start impeachment proceeedings.
Yours sincerely,
poor Malawian
A Malawi mwamva apa anazitenga ndalamazo agogowa sure sizama project zikukambidwa apa wagwidwatu mdalayu.. donation yachani? Hq ya dpp akumanga kuti tikaone nawo ife… iziti sizikufunikanso ama degree olo lawyer ndalama zapezeka akuba Pitala.. abale zasiyana pano ndima donation a lutepo ku PP? Karim akazengedwe mlandu ndithu.. odandaula ine ndathera pompa
K145,000,000 DONATION?WHY AFTR GETTING POLICE PAYMENT?WE’L SEE WHETHER ACB IS REALLY INDEPENDENT HERE
produce a bank statement to support your claims