Bophani, Mpinganjira marked for arrests in Malawi cashgate

Former deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Nelson Bophani, who was also chairing the Investigation Committee on the  “cashgate” scandal, a systematic looting of public money, has been earmarked for arrest , Nyasa Times understands.

Bophani (r) ordered the release of cashgate suspect  Former principal secretary for finance in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) Joster Njanji
Bophani (r) ordered the release of cashgate suspect Former principal secretary for finance in the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) Joster Njanji
Mpinganjira: Faces arrest
Mpinganjira: Faces arrest

Bophani is among suspects targeted for arrests who include top civil servant, politicians Brown Mpinganjira and Hophmally Makande.

Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sources tipped Nyasa Times that the arrests will be bordering on charges of conspiracy to defeat the course of justice, money laundering and theft.

ACB deputy director Reyneck Matemba confirmed this week that the graft busting body was out to make more arrests.

Justice Minister Samuel Tembenu said more arrests are coming up and will involve high profile personalities suspected to have played a role in the plundering of public coffers at Capital Hill popularly referred to as cash-gate.

He said Cashgate was a “systematic intricate cobweb that was sanctioned by people in the authority.”

Tembenu said: “The evidence that we have uncovered is clear that the fraud was properly and meticulously planned, carefully coordinated and skilfully executed.”

Former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo who was arrested on Saturday for money laundering charges, is on record telling the High Court  that former justice minister Ralph Kasambara ( already answering  cashgate related charges) through Pika Manondo, Kasambara’s friend Patrick Gadama popularly known as ‘Gada’ and former spokesperson of the People’s Party (PP) Hophmally Makande are individuals who were pressurising him to approve payments to some companies, among them Glens Waterways and Deco/Terrastone which was claiming K9 billion.

He said the Secretary to the Treasury told him not to honour the payments as they were claimed in bad faith.

Mphwiyo told the court that Pika and Gada, sent by Kasambara, went to his house several times where he was told that if he did not make the payment, he would lose his life and they would make it look like a deal gone sour.

But a call from then minister of Information and Civic Education Brown Mpinganjira that he had been informed by Kasambara that he was refusing to approve the payments prompted him to go to Kasambara and tell him that he would not be intimidated.

Mphwiyo, whose shooting incident on September 13 last year at the entrance of his home at night opened a pandoras box that led to Cashgate, was being used as a State witness in the shooting incident and money laundering cases.

An independent report into the scandal by Baker Tilly, a British accountancy firm, describes the scale of the theft and how it operated.

Drawing on a sample of 501 suspicious transactions between April and September, the auditors found that around 6.1 billion kwacha ($14.5m) had been paid out to 16 companies for services that had not been supplied.

Payments with no further documents accounted for a further 4 billion kwacha. The bean-counters also found that supply contracts had been inflated by 3.6 billion kwacha.

All told, K13 billion went missing during the Joyce Banda reign from April 2012. Probably another K90 billion went missing over the eight years of the presidency of the late Bingu wa Mutharika.

In total, about 30 per cent of the country’s budget could have been looted over a decade – almost as much as donors have provided Malawi over the same period.

The updated Baker Tilly report name perpetrators but details have been passed to law-enforcement agencies.

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simeon Phiri
simeon Phiri
9 years ago

It is painful that Malawians are suffering because the presented appointed them to adhere their desire by saying he/she called them to be ministers for the nation ,give them stiffer punishment start with Bingu’s regime n JB’s not forgetting present regime and government department .Abweze adadya zochuluka!

madalitso chilombo chilombo
madalitso chilombo chilombo
9 years ago

Mpinganjira is a crook. ask atcheya.

my right to speak!
my right to speak!
9 years ago

Please don’t blame APM. If JB was clean why did she fail to pursue the corruption by Bingu’s administration? USOVA!!!!

Kenkkk
Kenkkk
9 years ago

JB failed to pursue the 92bn because it is at the moment an audit query as you dpp people have told us. Let us wait for whAt the Germans will find out!!!

homwaryeni
homwaryeni
9 years ago

Have no mercy on them please!! Koma nanga wabwino ndi uti? Good work Mr. President Peter, but the question is whose regime have you started investigating? the better if we start with the previous government of The late Bingu wa Mutharika which is the foundation of cashgate. Then proceed up to Amayi & the current DPP again to sweep all thieves. Nanga pakapezeka wina kaya ndi president or was a previous president mumusiya-siya? NO MERCY PLEASE to hypocrites!! pretending sympathsing with us while stealing in the good name of poor Malawians. Courts, 2-3 years mukupereka kwa akubawa nchibwana. If you… Read more »

YANKHO MAJIGA
YANKHO MAJIGA
9 years ago

R u people telling me that you were not aware that Mpinganjira will be involved in this scandle, cash-gate. We all know the man is just so money hungry and that he don’t miss a chance once he is given one. The inclusion of Mpinganjila in cabinet was to resurrect him from his financial scrap. Even Amayi knew about this. Lets see what will happen next

WENZERU
WENZERU
9 years ago

Lleless talking more action . kodi zimadydwa ngati tomato kuti angaole

mopia
mopia
9 years ago

Next ndi azibusa a ku Livingstonia. Paja Atumbuka munadya nayo JB. Bwinotu!!!!!!!!!

mopia
mopia
9 years ago

Next ndi azibusa a ku Livingstonia. Paja Atumbuka munadya nayo JB. Bwinotu. Ninja Matemba sanabwere mocheza.

The Country Chief
9 years ago

Yatsala 92 billion ya muulamuliro wa a Bingu ija,ihope peter mutharika alimomo,chilungamo chiziwike,onse omwe anaba agwidwe basi

Malawian
Malawian
9 years ago

The mention of 92 billion was a detractor by the PP gurus. It was a political propaganda to confuse those who are always ready and willing to be confused by politicians. Those who believe this myth will be disappointed once the investigations are over. Remember Price Water House will do this job thanks to the Germany government.

Kenkkk
Kenkkk
9 years ago
Reply to  Malawian

Be patient, just wait for the Germans report. Then either side can swallow their pride from the results.

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