Govt says JB facing criminal charges

Government has for the first time said former president Joyce Banda faces criminal charges when she comes back to Malawi in connection with her alleged role in the infamous cashgate, the plunder of US$20 million public resources at Capital Hill,the seat of government in Lilongwe.

“Government has a lot of solid information on her on cashgate,” said a statement from the ministry of Information signed by minister Jappie Mhango.

In a strongly worded statement ever issued by the Peter Mutharika administration in response to Banda’s accusations of high level involvement to implicate her in the cashgate scandal, describing her as a criminal refugee, the government asks Banda to come back to Malawi and face those that are implicating her, including Senzani, in court.

“Her prosecution is inevitable,” says the statement, putting to rest a year of speculation that the state wants to prosecute her.

The government has told her to come out and tell Malawians where she is getting money to fund her 15 month stay abroad, alleging she was using cashgate money.

Mhango, in the statement says she has turned down 10 residences the government identified for her following her claims that the government is not offering her accomodation, saying she can come back to help the government identify a residence of her choice.

The government says it has information that Banda hired Paul Mphwiyo allegedly to scheme out the cashgate.

The statement says Banda did not sanction the cashgate to allegedly fund the PP campaign at a cabinet meeting but rather at a meeting comprising her inner circle and trusted party loyalists.

The government then asks Banda to stop involving President Mutharika in the issue and to shut up otherwise, it says, it will continue to expose her in public in retaliation.

The office of the former head of state is expected to respond to the scathing new year attack from the government.