Kamlepo claims DPP  bribes PAC members to dethrone him as vice-chair

The firebrand opposition lawmaker Kamlepo Kalua, who is vice chairperson of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has claimed that ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is bribing  some mebrs of his committee to dethrone him on his position as the vice chairperson because he is critical to President Peter Mutharika and his government by pressing for checks and balances.

According to Kamlepo, the development follows his revelation that  Mutharika is shielding cabinet ministers who have been implicated in a K236 billion (about $330million) grand corruption scam christened as Cashgate.

“I have been told that some are busy planning to unseat me on my position as PAC vice chair and I know who is behind it,” said Kalua who is also Rumphi East lawmaker.

“They want to silence me , even kill me but I can tell you that this will not stop me. I am one of the people who brought democracy here in the country and I will not stay quite if someone misuses public resources,” he warned.

President Mutharika recently  rubbished Kalua’s claims of seven rotten ministers in cabinet, saying he could not sack his ministers as he did not have the names.

He challenged Kalua to name and shame the corrupt ministers.

“This lawmaker should bring the names at Kamuzu Palace or he should shut up forever. I sent the Chief Secretary to the Auditor General to get the names and he came back saying there are no such names,” Mutharika said.

But Kalua hit back, charging that Mutharika could get the names from Anti-Corruption Bureau and National Audit Office.

“The President is not being honest…. It is a joke for the president to express ignorance on the names,” he said.

Kalua added: “Let him follow up with the auditor general because the auditor general said he submitted 13 files to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and out of those files, seven belonged to cabinet ministers.”