DPP youth governor threatened ACB officers
Barely days after Malawi’s graft watchdog the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) zeroed in on one of most feared figures in the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lewis Ngalande, Nyasa Times understands the youth leader had stormed ACB offices in December last year where he confronted two bureau officers, it has been established.
Ngalande according to ACB, tried to obstruct investigations which the bureau had instituted last year upon receiving a tip off alleging that some officers at Accountant General and Malawi Police Services made large payments to companies owned by the beleaguered youth leader and his allies.
However, when Ngalande learned that ACB was investigating him and his colleagues, he together with his colleague identified as Timothy Juma stormed the offices of ACB where he is alleged to have threatened two bureau officers, according to the ACB.
“On 5th October, 2011, the Anti-Corruption Bureau received information alleging that officers at the Accountant General and Malawi Police Service had made large payments to companies which were either owned by Ngalande or his colleagues. We instituted investigations into the matter. It established that Mr. Arthur Malidadi Juma owns Soft Links Systems and Supplies, a company that was paid some of the money under investigation.
“The Bureau served a Notice to Furnish Documents on Arthur Malidadi Juma. He did not comply. Instead, he in the company of Lewis Ngalande and Timothy Juma went to the Anti-Corruption Bureau offices on 8th December, 2011. They threatened two officers of the Anti-Corruption to stop investigations on cheques received by Soft Links Systems and Supplies,” explained ACB’s senior publicist Egritta Ndala.
Meanwhile, Ngalande and Juma, according to Ndala, are still under police custody awaiting court hearing and are due to answer one count each of obstructing officers contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices Act.
Ngalande, who is also implicated in the Youth Enterprise Development (Yedef) loans scam where he is alleged to have used undeserving three students to access loans amounting to K2 million, becomes first DPP high ranking official to be arrested by the ACB over graft allegations since the death of the party’s founding father president Bingu wa Mutharika a month ago.
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