‘From Looting to Kill’: Ntata’s new report on Malawi to launch Aug 18

Malawian researcher in law, anti-corruption, political governance and also a barrister of the middle temple Z. Allan Ntata has released another comprehensive report on the cash-gate scandal that has rocked the country titled ‘From a Looting t Kill’ to be launched in Lilongwe on August 18.

Ntata told Nyasa Times in an exclusive interview in London that he will launch the report in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe during which he will also give a public lecture on the findings of the report and on “curtailing corruption” in general.

The corruption report “From a Looting to a Kill” is a follow up on his earlier report “Licence to Loot”.

“Whiles Licence to Loot looked at the corruption that occurred during th administration of Joyce Banda, ‘From a Looting to a Kill’ analyses the period covered by the (Price Waterhouse Coopers) PwC report (2009-2014),” Ntata told Nyasa Times.

“ I have had an opportunity to investigate Cashgate corruption in Malawi better and understand better how it worked, and what its cost has been over this period to the Malawian taxpayer. I also had the opportunity to review the evidence I had when I wrote Licence to Loot and clarify certain points that I made then,” he said.

“Most importantly, This new report is not just the story of what has happened during cashgate but a discussion of why cashgate happened, who were the main culprits, and what Malawians can do to influence change and justice given that the governments are failing or are uninterested in rectifying the loopholes because they benefit from them,” Ntata added.

Ntata, who is now a fierce critic of President Peter Mutharika, was legal adviser to the President’s elder brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, who ruled the country from 2004 until his death in April 2012.

President Mutharika has since labelled Ntata as a “frustrated” individual who is on a mudslinging campaign against him and his special aide Ben Phiri.

But Ntata who has challenged Mutharika to meet him any time, any place, anywhere for a head-to-head debate on corruption and governance, trashed the “frustrated” tag, saying it is Mutharika’s “amnesia”.

• Here is part two of the interviews Thom Chiumia (TC) of Nyasa Times had with Ntata:

TC, Nyasa Times: President Mutharika calls you a frustrated failure, is he not right?

With respect to frustration, I have said this before and I will say it again: if you can show me a well-meaning Malawian that is not frustrated with the pace at which we are moving as a nation, I will show you a greedy faggot that will sing praise to the most incompetent of presidents, for personal survival.

Just like any truly patriotic Malawians, I am frustrated with APM’s leadership thus far,especially his refusal to embrace good governance given his training, profession, background and global exposure.

Frankly speaking, even in my worst nightmare, I never expected APM to prove such a disaster in such record time.

What I find very funny however, is Peter Mutharika’s amnesia. Peter Mutharika was constantly seeking my advice when we were both serving his brother.

This was the time I witnessed power plays firsthand, and saw memos of my advice disregarded, and the bad advice of DPP strongmen implemented.I still have my memos.To prove that I was not among those that misled late Bingu big time, I intend to publish those memoirs. Let’s all Malawians see what the evidence will demonstrate

TC, Nyasa Times: And claims by the President that you are ‘cooking up’ stories to turning Mutharika without any basis, what’s your take?

I have never “cooked up” any story. All stories that I comment on are always already in the public domain.

Further, as a bona fide citizen of Malawi, I am entitled to comment on matters of national interest and no-one will gag me..

TC, Nyasa Times: Last word, for now

First, I want to commend you at Nyasa Times for the great intrepid work you are doing under very trying circumstances. Secondly, I want to share a word with fellow Malawians.

Edmund Burke was very right when he said: the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

And in this regard, while we tend to point fingers at our governments for the mess Malawi continues to wallow in; we are equally to blame for creating a climate conducive to the impunity which is leading to lack of accountability, without which Malawi will continue to sink deeper in poverty, while the ill-gotten wealth of the ruling class inexplicably swells.

May God bless Malawi.

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