Mphwiyo insists Kasambara plotted his shooting: Malawi cashgate
Malawi’s former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo told the court that that former Justice Minister and Attorney Ralph Kasambara – who was arrested in connection with the shooting, knew more details of his movements and the security at his house, maintaining that he was behind the plot to murder him.
Mphwiyo, whose shooting on 13 September 2013 led to the unravelling of the systematic looting of millions of government money dubbed ‘cashgate’, has been testifying in his attempted murder case.
He told the court that Kasambara, who he had earlier claimed had given him “ten days to live” unless he honoured certain government payments, has been following his movements even up to South Africa where he had a meeting together with one of the suspects Pika Manondo.
“I did not travel to South Africa with Manondo and the manifests will show that. I was in South Africa between 6 and 8 August [2013]. But the fourth accused [Kasambara], knew I was there, he must have been following me,” the gun-short survivor told the court.
Mphwiyo also wondered how Kasambara knew which security lights had been installed after the shooting at his upmarket Area 43 suburb of the capital, Lilongwe, where the shooting took place if he claimed that he had never been to his house.
“He knew the perimeter of my house better than myself and could direct which security lights should be covered. That, my Lord is even more scary,” Mphwiyo said.
Mphwiyo reiterated that he did not mention Kasambara to the police who visited him while he was hospitalised in South Africa following the shooting because he was afraid for his life since Kasambara was a minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and a senior officer of the court, but also had influence in government.
Kasambara, who has been charged with conspiracy to murder Mphwiyo, denies the charges. He is on trial alongside four others, including a former soldier Macdonald Kumwembe who is said, according to court papers, to have been one of the two hired ‘contract killers’.
In his testimony, Mphwiyo maintained that Kumwembe “is the face I saw at the gate when I was shot.”
He said: “I remember being shown a passport which showed that he [Kumwembe] left Malawi, but if a proper examination can be done, the authenticity of that claim could be challenged.”
He also clarified that he did not identify Kumwembe as he did Kasambara and the Manondo brothers—Pika and Dauka—in earlier police statements because he had never seen him before.
Mphwiyo’s shooting unravelled ‘cashgate’ and the resultant discovery that up to US $30 million was minted from the government payment system, where politicians and businessmen colluded with civil servants for payments for goods and services not rendered to government.
Soon after Mphwiyo’s shooting millions of cash in Malawi kwacha, US dollars and South African rands started pitching up in unlikely places like in car trunks, baby dolls, under beds or in pillow cases.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Both need to be deeply investigated, they are thugs and this is not the first time, forty days have come. Speed up the cases, why is it taking too long like this? mlandu wa Sept 2013 mukuchitapo chiyani agalu inu.
A lot of theorise are being floated around but most miss the point which is there for all to see. Mr Mphwiyo on the material day was driving a stolen car, for which he had not yet paid the seller. He had been warned several times to pay or else…… and rumour has it that the owner trailedhim to every drinking joint he went to. The dollars he had in the reported A3 envelope were presumably meant to pay off the guy. There is absolutely no logic in the allegations against the accused. You do not go in a big… Read more »
Boma ili silitithandiza pa nkhani ya Cashgate Zikuwoneka kuti akulu akulu ambiri ndiwokhudzidwa ndikhaniyi Investigate the 92 Billion Cashgate as well please Don’t waste our time running and hiding in a desert of wicked thoughts you Devils deserve to die by MOB JUSTICE
PHWIYOYO NDI MBAVA NO. 1 AFUNA AZIPULUMUTSE KU CASH GATE POTHAWIRA ZOOMBEREDWA.AMANGIDWE AMAENEYO.AKAPANDA kumangidwa mob justice yizagwira ntchito.azapezeka atafafa anthu atakwiya ndi chilungamo.
@Chigumbuli, that is what Kasambala said at the gate of Mphwiyo during hearing. He said that in the presence of judge and lawyers.
These guys are mafia family mphwiyo and entire group. There is nobody who is innocent . That’s how it works on mafiosi family if one messes up the deal , they take his life or somebody close the person who has fucked up everything or doing unfair business to his friends. These guys know the truth about the shooting . Sentence all these bastards to jail . They brought Malawi to its knees. Until today millions of Malawians are suffering because of these crooks. On radio Zodiak Lutepo asked for giveness to the Malawi coz the deal went sour.
Chimpwiyochi chisatinamizepo apa. Ndiye Mbamva yayikulu ameneyu.
Mphwiyo doubts that ‘Kasambara might have been following him in RSA’, probability, presumption etc, such shaky premises etc. did Mphwiyo really do Philosophy at Kachebere before leaving for h university? Unathawira mkalasi, usatochititse manyazi.
Chifukwa chani anthu from Nyika Republic are the only ones who think Nkhata Bay Lawyer is not guilty?
Stupid eluby. Palinso za tribe apa.
This case will either reflect worse on Mphwiyo or government but not Kasambara. Mphwiyo has contradicted himself more than 21 times in his statements. The case will go cold for Kasambara, Dauka and Manondo.