DPP denies receiving K145 million ‘donation’ from Zameer Karim

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), under pressure over revelations that President Peter Mutharika may have benefitted from K145 million that a supplier deposited in a party bank account for which he is the sole signatory, has said it not aware of such donation.

DPP spokesperson Francis Kasaila says the purported leaked report by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is the work of the Mutharika and DPP opponents.

Kasaila said he could not believe the report, saying it could be fabricated.

“The report is fabrication; it is the work of our opponents. Disregard it,” said the soft spoken Kasaila.

His comments come amid serious storm that has hit State House following revelations that President Mutharika got K145 million from business man Zameer Karim through a DPP Standard Bank account to which he is the sole signatory.

The money is suspected to be part of proceeds of payment from Malawi Police Service (MPS) to Pioneer Investments—a firm owned by Karim and the ACB suspects fraudulently supplied food rations.

Kasaila however refused to confirm that Mutharika was the sole signatory to the DPP bank account, saying he would have to find out first.

However, he was quick to say that even if Mutharika was the sole signatory, there was no problem, saying this might have been the arrangement with the national executive committee of the party.

According to the November 2017 ACB report, Mutharika opened the account in 2015, a year after assuming office.

The report said a day after the supplier 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.

Between January and October 2016, the President “made cheque withdrawals amounting to K65 million from the said Standard Bank account,” the Bureau report say

Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said the police are yet to effect arrests on Karim and Innocent Botomani, the police director of finance who are said to have masterminded the defrauding.

Malawians have expressed their outrage at the allegations through various media platforms with some of them calling on Mutharika to step down pending prosecution.