Kasambara’s wife gagged maid on Mphwiyo’s shooting: Malawi cashgate

Private practice lawyer Ralph Kasambara’s ex-domestic worker told the High Court in Lilongwe in the ongoing trial into the shooting of former ministry of finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo that she was persuaded by Kasambara’s wife not to talk about the former justice minister’s alleged involvement in the attempted murder.

But the defence lawyers in the case tried to punch holes in her testimony in a bid to discredit her.

However, Jesse Mussa Kafuwe, who worked as a domestic worker at Kasambara’s residence in Lilongwe, maintained that Mphwiyo and Kasambara, a former minister of Justice and constitutional Affairs, exchanged bags which might have contained money and he was at the house the day of the shooting.

Kafuwa testimony heavily implicated Kasambara’s wife – Maggie – to have been in the know of the things her husband was involved in.

She indicated that one day Kasambara’s wife asked her to remove boxes from the former justice minister’s car and upon checking she was told the cartoons contained guns.

During cross examination. Kasambara who is representing himself asked Kafuwa on whether she would differentiate a
metal detector which he claimed the mentioned boxes contained and a gun.

“Do you know that we had a mine in Mzimba? Do you know they use those metal detectors to the mines?” Kasambara quizzed Kafuwe.

When asked about the mentioned guns in re-examination, Kafuwe, who cannot read or write except her name, told the court that she cannot lie under Oath.

The events at Kasambara’s house were also put into question, especially when Mphwiyo left the house and Pika Manondo arrived to drive the Mercedes Benz.

“What is the relevance of the Mercedes Benz to the shooting?” Kasambara asked Kafuwe several times.

Kafuwe responded: “I realised the two were connected because the wife phoned me to tell me not to spread stories that Mr Kasambara was involved in the shooting of Mphwiyo and that the number plates were removed from the Mercedes Benz because they were fake, not because it was used in the shooting.”

She went on: “I was surprised why she (Kasambara’s wife) was telling me those things because I was just a maid.”

Kasambara is answering charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder alongside Kumwembe who Mphwiyo identified as the shooter, Dauka Manondo, Pika Manondo, Robert Kadzuwa and businessperson Cashgate suspect Osward Lutepo.

The accused have denied the charges.

In cross examining , one of the defence lawyers Wapona Kita discredited Kafuwe, saying she confirmed that she was bitter when she was fired unceremoniously.

Justice Micheal Mtambo, presiding the case, has pointed out that he wants the trial be concluded by May.

The case since been adjourned to March 17 and 19 2015.

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