Joyce Banda says she has evidence corruption allegations politically-motivated

Former president Joyce Banda has said she had evidence that corruption allegations against her were politically motivated as she insisted of her innocence and claimed that there were  regime attempts to tarnish her name and legacy.

Joyce Banda has made statements clearing her name from the Cashgate

Banda, 68, flew home on Saturday after four years absence  during which she faced the threat of arrest over corruption allegations in the biggest financial scandal in the country’s history  christened as Cashgate, in which government officials siphoned off millions of dollars of public money.

During Cashgate cases relating to the plunder of K24 billion under her watch, some of the accused civil servants, who were eventually convicted, alleged she was involved in the scandal.

“I don’t think, I know. I have got evidence to that effect,” said Banda, insisting that some of the Cashgate convicts were coerced to implicate her.

Banda – the only  woman to lead Malawi -said her four-year absence was meant to allow her successor run a stable government.

She maintained that she is clean on Cashgate and  that even the International Police (Interpol) cleared her.

The “Cashgate” scandal occurred between April and August 2013 and that prior to that, there was another audit query  of MK577 billion  which was reduced to K236 billion theft of public money between 2009 and 2012.

Banda insists there must be a stubborn link between the MK236 billion scandal of 2009 and 2012 and the MK24 billion cashgate of 2013.

She questioned President Peter Mutharika’s  failure to arrest any individual in connection with the K236 billion Cashgate.

But Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nicholas Dausi, who is also the official government  spokesperson, said institutions such as the Malawi Police Service (MPS) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have responsibility over the matter and “not up to the President to ask them to do that.”

The shooting on the night of September 13 2013 of former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo outside the gate of his Area 43 residence in Lilongwe led to revelations of the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill.

Banda ordered an audit which British firm RSM (formerly known as Baker Tilly, undertook covering a randomly selected six-month period between April and September 2013. The audit established that about K24 billion was siphoned from public coffers through dubious payments, inflated invoices and goods or services never rendered.

In May 2015, a financial analysis report by audit and business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also established that about K577 billion in public funds could not be reconciliated between 2009 and December 31 2014. The K577 billion figure was later revised downwards to K236 billion in another forensic audit released in 2016.

In December 2015, first Cashgate convict and former principal secretary for Tourism Treza Senzani, who died after her release in October 2016 after serving her three-year sentence, alleged in a witness statement that the highest level of the Juyce Banda administration was involved in Cashgate.

But Banda said late  Mrs. Senzani’s mansion, which was also a subject of cashgate case, was not built between April and August 2013. Looking at her income as PS, she could not have accumulated such wealth to build the said mansion as  A she had been PS for a few months, suggesting  that the construction of that mansion in Area 36 in Lilongwe  was financed by money from the MK2#6 billion scandal that happened during the late President Bingu wa Mutharika and DPP reign.

 

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Mwananyanian
Mwananyanian
5 years ago

Joisi Banda is acting, behaving and talking like an animal that is cornered: in a definite defensive mode. Perhaps she should just admit some culpability, and cut a deal with the Law. Maybe, people will respect her if she “mans” up, take responsibility, and face the consequences – whatever they are. But all that barking is not good for her, because if she continues this way, she will contradict herself sooner or later; and that will be more fodder or slow hanging fruit for prosecutors. It is apparent the more she talks about Cashgate, the less she’s seen as credible… Read more »

chikoti
chikoti
5 years ago

Kpma auntie mukupanga pholkoso too much

.kibeera dzana kpma mwalolpngolola kale..heeeee.inutu tikunjateni ..ioooo phuma lachuluka..iiiiii

Lottie
Lottie
5 years ago

JB, why can you not just shut up and enjoy your coming back? Everything has got its own time. You will talk at the right time. Your many words are smelling suspicious. Keep your cards to yourself. You will need to explain a lot to Malawians in due course. Remember your husband wrote to the Diplomatic community to the effect that your life was in danger in Malawi. Have you forgotten? Now you say, you wanted Peter to rule peacefully? What you need now is wisdom – otherwise your very words will work against you.

Zam'tonda
Zam'tonda
5 years ago

Don’t make a lot of noise aunt never buy public sympathy via press statements every allegation that you read about in the papers is just an allegation without evidence tendered in court. You cried for and got leadership you’ve been a head of state and you were in exile and the rumour mill has been churning out a lot of stories- concrete and fictitious to the bewilderment of ordinary Malawians. As you respond to the inquisitive journalists you need an extra skin Malawi went through the most peaceful electioneering during your presidency in 2014 wait for these Visigoths in blue… Read more »

#DzukaniAmalawi
#DzukaniAmalawi
5 years ago

Bingu, Joyce and Peter have all got a case to answer as the looting took place under their watch. Whether or not they benefitted is neither here nor there. They were all Accountable Officers at the time the looting took place and therefore they need to be accountable and be charged for not performing their fiduciary duties. There’s enough proof that funds disappeared.

Tenzi Mzungu
Tenzi Mzungu
5 years ago

Do you know that donors stopped budgetary support in JB rule because of cashgate yet the blame goes to APM? Do you know that she responded by saying Malawi can fund its own budget without donor support? Do you know that some government sectors were funded 4000 for operations? Do you know that she said civil servants in her time will not be able to buy bottled water because she was squeezing them hard?

Tenzi Mzungu
Tenzi Mzungu
5 years ago

Facts: 1. Theft was there time immemorial in civil service 2. Between 2009-2012 accounting journals in civil service are not rencilliating 3. JB ruled after 2012 4. No one was arrested even convicted because of that 5. 2013 massive plunder of public money was uncovered when JB was president. 6. People were arrested including JB friend Lutepo 7. Instead of concentrating on the current issue JB ordered investigations to begin in 2005 8. The aim was to make people believe that theft was there before her as evidenced by what she said about Senzani. 9. Now he wants APM to… Read more »

jones
jones
5 years ago
Reply to  Tenzi Mzungu

waste of time. Use your brain for good things not evil.

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