Bophani accused of perverting course of justice: Malawi cashgate

Former Deputy Inspector General of Police Nelson Bophani has been accused by Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)  of abuse of office and perverting the course of justice in an investigation into the cashgate scandal.

In a typical case of the hunter getting hunted, Bophani at the onset of the ‘cashgate’ investigation under President Joyce Banda headed a multi-agency special unit that initiated the probe.

His arrest came after Nyasa Times carried a story that Bophani was earmarked for arrest.

“Mr. Bophani has been arrested for a suspected charge of Misuse of Public Office and Conspiracy to Defeat Justice…This is in relation to the on-going investigation into ‘cashgate’,” said Egrita Ndala, spokesperson for the Ant-Corruption Bureau in a statement released Thursday.

Authorities said he will answer charges on allegations that he concealed files of a fictitious trust called Good Deeds Trust of former budget director Paul Mphwiyo.

He reportedly concealed the investigation file of  the case in which Mphwiyo is accused of  Good Deeds Trust in September 23  to buy a house title number Alimaude 12/263 from Geoffrey James Kayanula at K50 million knowingly or having reason to believe that the said price or money were proceeds of a crime.

As head of the ‘cashgate’ investigation team, the former deputy police chief was privy to all investigation files.

ACB suspects he concealed certain information to protect certain people in the ‘cashgate’ investigations.

Authorities said  Bophani is also accused of concealing information in the case of businessman Stafford Mpoola on money laundering charges in relation to Malawi Cashgate scandal .

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Mpoola in October 2013 after he was suspected to be  involved in siphoning money amounting to K1, 113,397,413.31 from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) through his company, Stadal Building Construction.

Mpoola is also a signatory to Dan Civil Engineering and Building Contractors which is also mentioned as part of the syndicate that has stolen billions of government money through ghost contracts and companies.

Bophani is the sixth person to be caught in ACB’s ‘Cashgate’ net in less than five days.

Apart from the arrest of one of Mphwiyo and his wife Thandi, the anti-graft body has so far also arrested businessperson and politician Hophmally Makande who handed himself over to ACB following a tip that there was a warrant for him and Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) director of legal services and company secretary Ishmael Chioko.

During Banda’s administration, Bophani chaired an investigations unit tasked with unearthing how public funds were looted in ‘Cashgate’.

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