CSOs press for Malawi leader’s impeachment as court freezes K145m DPP account whose sole signatory is Mutharika

Civil society organization (CSOs) leaders say they are meeting members of parliament privately in a bid to identify one brave legislator who should push for the impeachment motion of President Peter Mutharika as the  High Court in Blantyre has ordered Standard Bank Plc to freeze an account for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – who sole signatory is  Mutharika -through which the party allegedly received K145 million from Pioneer Investments Limited in the Malawi Police Service food rations deal.

CSOs spokesperson Timothy Mtambo said they are lobbying MPs following  a letter the CSOs wrote the Speaker Richard Msowoya to call for an emergency meeting of parliament in order to commence the impeachment proceedings.

“We are very serious on this one. We have started meeting the honourable members of parliament and this process is going on successfully,” said Mtambo.

This follows failure by President Mutharika to respond to a letter by the CSOs to explain how and why he received the K145 million which was credited direct into the bank account of  DPP to which Mutharika is a sole signatory.

The graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says the DPP and the president benefitted from proceeds of the crime as the Indian businessman Zameer Karim is accused of getting K1.7 billion food ration deal at the police through dubious means.

Mtambo could however not say when exactly the impeachment motion will be brought in the 193 strong House whilst the speaker Msowoya refused to comment on the matter.

Meamwhile, Mzuzu-based Youth and Society (YAS) through Ritz Attorneys-at-Law, have taken Pioneer Investments and the DPP to court, and the account has been closed.

The court has since set aside an inter-parties hearing of the freezing to August 3 2018, YAS lawyer Bright Theu has confirmed.

In the Civil Case No.215 of 2018, DPP’s secretary general Greselder Jeffrey and legal affairs director Charles Mhango are first defendants on their own behalf and that of members of the DPP, Zameer Karim of Pioneer Investments is second defendant while Innocent Bottoman of Police is the third defendant.

On the other hand, Standard Bank Plc, National Bank of Malawi Plc, director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and former Secretary to Treasury (ST) Ronald Mangani are first, second, third and fourth parties cited, respectively.

The case follows a leaked dossier from the ACB which documented that Pioneer Investments made an abortive interest claim of K466 million and deposited K145 million into the DPP bank account No. 0140031992200 at Standard Bank, whose sole signatory is President Peter Mutharika.

Reads the court order: “Until further Order of the Court, the First Defendants by themselves or their officers or agents or anyone acting on their behalf must not remove, or in any way dispose of, deal with or diminish the funds standing to their credit in account number 014003192200 held with the first party cited to the extent of K145 000 000.00.

“Until further Order of the Court, the first party cited should not transact any disposal, transfer, dissipation, or howsoever termed the first defendants’ funds cited in the above cited account.”

It adds: “All parties concerned should appear before the Judge in chamber on 3rd of August 2018 at 2 O’clock in the afternoon for an inter-partes hearing on: (i) The freezing (ii) The application for disclosures are against the parties cited.

YAS took the DPP and Pioneer Investments to court after the two failed to pay back the money, having demanded such through demand letters on July 17 2018.

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