MBC bosses apart of ‘Good Friday gang’ on treason case

Top notch criminal investigations experts have demanded that the new Minister of Justice and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara should include former  MBC TV boss Bright Malopa and Chimwemwe Banda in the case where the infamous ‘Midnight Six’  orchestrated a failed “constitutional coup d’état” following the death of president Bingu wa Mutharika.

The law experts say the two MBC TV bosses were instrumental in giving a clear passage to the disgraced Ministers to wrestle the arm of the law and put their selfish interests above those of 15 million Malawians.

“We have evidence that Mr. Malopa was aware that the said press conference was to take place. Our inquiry has found out that he collaborated with Mrs. Banda who is the current Director of News and Programmes to have the midnight six address the nation at midnight and live on television,” said one of the experts who strictly spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardising the ongoing investigations.

Malopa: Fired MBC boss

The experts say they will provide a report to President Joyce Banda, the new Minister of Justice and Attorney General to include the two as accomplices to toppling an elected government after Mutharika died in office.

“We are mindful of what happened in Rwanda in 1994 where overzealous Radio just like MBCtv went to castigate the others calling them cockroaches or tall trees. Malawi would have woken up to a blood bath because two TV managers did not exercise their professionalism,” said one expert.

Prior to July 20 demonstrations, Malopa issued a directive that all news headlines on the MBC radios and TV station should describe the demonstrations as ‘pro gay’ meaning that the demonstrating people who were compelled by the biting poverty and gross economic were supporting gay rights.

Few days after Mutharika died and before his body was repatriated to Malawi, Malopa was stopped from leaving the country through Mwanza border, he had his passport taken way by the immigration police.

“This tells you he has some questions to answer,” said the expert.

But Malopa denied that he was stopped from fleeing the country, saying he has a clear conscious  and that he made “mistakes of judgement not out of evil.”

After the night of shame, Military Police replaced normal police at MBC and MBCTV barring all unaccredited staff accessing the facilities including Malopa, Chimwemwe Banda and Mzati Nkolokosa who is the Controller of News.

The experts could not however indicate who else could join the midnight six apart from Malopa and Chimwemwe Banda.

Kasambara said government will soon furnish Malawians on “full facts” of the coup case.

“We have seen the river, we have seen the bridge , and we have to cross it, one way or the other,” said Kasambara.

The president of the Malawi Law Society (MLS), John Gift Makhwawa , has called for the prosecution of the ‘coup plotters’ for a treasonable act under Malawi’s constitution.

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