Mutharika claims is victim of fraud, corruption: Chunara witness in K5bn ‘cementgate’
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is turning businessperson Shafee Ahmed Chunara—arrested in connection with the cement importation saga— to become prosecution witness against former president Peter Mutharika’s security aide Norman Chisale on charges linked to alleged abuse of duty-free status of a sitting president.
The 26-year-old entrepreneur was arrested and charged with fraud in which he was accused of importing 800 000 bags of cement using deceitful or fraudulent means without paying duty worth K5 billion.
His second offence was of money laundering contrary to Section 331A (a) of the Penal Code in which he was accused of engaging himself directly or indirectly in the importation of 800 000 bags of cement without paying duty.
However, the State feels Chunara would best be a prosecution witness in the matter having studied his witness statements and affidavits.
Powell Nkhutabasa, the lawyer representing Chunara, said the owner of Prestige Imports and Exports, maintains his innocence in the matter.
Chunara reportedly told the police “the truth” on how he got the cement.
Police also arrested former Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) deputy commissioner general Roza Mbilizi in connection with cement-gate scandal.
Before Mutharika was ousted from power in the June 23 fresh presidential election, State House and MRA on June 16 justified the transaction as “within the law”, as it was for personal use.
However, Mutharika on Friday at a news conference in Mangochi categorically denied instructing his personal bodyguard Chisale to import cement from Zambia and Zimbabwe using the duty-free status that presidents enjoy to import goods for personal use.
“I had no idea. I mean, look behind you, I have not finished that part of my premises because I do not have cement,” said Mutharika at his beachside private retirement home – christened as Nyekhwe Palace.
“If I had all those millions of bags of cement, do you think I would still be struggling to complete the house?” he said.
Mutharika – a law professor – appeared to be distancing himself from the cement-gate, paying way for his personal legal defence, arguing he is a victim of identity fraud.
He said the cement importation controversy is a tax evasion matter that has to be dealt as such between Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and whoever brought the cement .
Mutharika said he is absolutely furious that authorities froze his bank accounts.
“I am a victim of fraud, yet I am the one being penalised. This is not fair,” he said.
Mutharika wondered: “They know I never imported the cement. I have no knowledge, so why punish me.”
The former president, who was ousted in power through a court-ordered fresh presidential elections when he lost to Lazarus Chakwera of the Tonse Alliance, said if he made mistakes in his six years in power , “they were errors of misjudgement, not out of evil.”
On accusations that he presided over a corrupt government, Mutharika said corruption has always been there “even in biblical times” and is still rearing its ugly head in the new administration.
“Cashgate {corruption scandal discovered in 2014 under the Joyce Banda administration] was the worst form of corruption.
“In this new administration [Tonse]; we have already started reading about corruption. It is not easy to control it, “he said.
Mutharika cited a report by former Director of Public Prosecution Fahad Assani, well before he came to power, that a third of Malawi’s national budget is lost through fraud and corruption.
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A pointer to corruption is change in life style. You mean you failed to notice Chisale’s change in life style?. He built houses left and right, bought expensive cars, built a church, donated coasters and you just sat phwii, doing nothing? And your wife didn’t whisper in your ears about Chisale or Mukhito?
Give us a break Bwana APM.
You have clearly never heard of manipulative people. Have you never head of a cheating wife or husband? Someone who lies to you that the kids are yours when they are not, someone who has a a whole other family, a wife and kids while he is your husband and father to your kids. These things happen. People are manipulative. Chisale knew his ways.
APM says corruption is nearly impossible to stop (WeekEnd Nation). But the problem is he didn’t even try. Whenever he was told that one of his aides was engaged in corrupt activities APM’s default position was to deny it vehemently; instead of authorising an independent investigation. Maybe you cannot stop corruption completely because of human nature, but you can keep it to the bare minimum by ensuring that Govt institutions are well funded, well staffed and are independent to do their work.
In Northern Europe (i.e. Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc) corruption is kept at a minimum by observing the measures outlined above. LMC should learn from APM’s mistakes: Whenever an official in his administration is alleged to have engaged in a corrupt activity (like Kapondamgaga & Kalumbu) the default position should be to carry out a through investigation (by the relevant authorities) and publicize the results of those investigations and take appropriate action afterwards. Otherwise LMC will be like APM in 5 years’ time: Claiming to be a victim when he allowed corruption to flourish under his watch…
Nde mwati mmwenye ameneyu sakalowa? I can forsee local CSOs mobilising masses to demonstrate against this selective justice.
Pitala kugona ndi kupusa nchifukwa chake Getu ndi Norman amakuyenda pano.
He trusted the wrong people. Like Bingu said about Callista. My biggest mistake was marrying that woman. Apm’s problem was/ is the same. Marrying a manipulative wife.
It’s obvious ndalama zadyedwapo apa. These rich Indians can buy justice . Remember ACB arrested the guy only as a result of public outcry.
Whilst others were arrested on Fridays so that they the spend more days in the cooler it was never the case with the Malawian Gupta. We need a system overhaul at ACB.
The fraudster, Prince of Thieves himself is claiming to be innocent today. Yes corruption has been there even during Biblical times. The difference is that it was actually APM himself who was the mastermind, at the helm of it all and was the perpetrator. Examples are countless the PI bank transactions/ kickback deposit into APM”s own bank account, use of of his TPIN in cementgate, etc. He cannot claim innocence. Of course he was a zombie president, but that’s a different story all together
Just exactly who victimised Peter Mutharika in this saga?
Nobody would have frauded you if you were not a sleep at the wheel. Kugona too much, you were so clueless that’s why your inner circle took advantage of you
Tonse Alliance seems to be soft with these Amwenyes why are you scared of them?
The issue of cement was all over but as a president you kept quite though your press officer defended it….. who instructed your press officer? That’s is why people were saying you were sleeping on the job
Peters house is not finished bcoz he believed in his own lies that DPP will rule forever, he never thought he would be sent to retirement by malawians despite his nepotism and corrupt government. What about the 145million deposited in your account? Thus direct corruption, it was hard to stop it as well?
Millions of dollars in his USA account.
Dear Mr Mutharika, I don’t know what you claim..! You did nothing against corruption and fraud during you time in office! The only one who victimised you was your late brother. The fact that he had chosen his incapable, incompetent and glueless younger family member was an insult and have damaged us big times as a Nation! There is now doubt you where the worst president we ever had! You handicap of gluelessness might have turned now to an advantage for you! Don’t get blinded ACB and judiciary, you have prosecute, it was happened on this guys TPIN!
pitala akudziwa through the paperboy normani . ndalama mmalandilila mma shoe box plus mbuzi mmalandila zija musayambe kubiswala baba. mumatiendetsa coseta agalu inu. boma lanu kununkha ngati . fungo ngati khoswe ofera munyumba. muyankha tu.
ku maula basi. you spinned malawians ngati suga mu tea. kuwatakasa . 42 convoy cars. iitaneni ikutetezeni adyabulosi inu.
Malawians are not giving anypne who corrupted abused their taxes till cilungamo cioneke.
mukuniya
You are to be blamed. You were in hot chair at the time. You can not run away.
I believe it when Mutharika says he was not aware of the corruption, fraud and theft that were occurring under his six-year regime. How can one be aware of what is happening when one is fast asleep? Was APM’s cluelessness in governing due to senility or stupidity, or both?
Mutharika never named his residence ‘Nyekhwe’. It is silly reporters like you who have christened it.
“Nyekhwe Palace”, is the right name. Names can come after certain incidents, so if after kuona election nyekhwe one finds himself out of Sanjika to an incomplete house in Mangochi that is Nyekhwe and calling that Nyekhwe Palace is absolutely correct.
In the bible there is “Icabod” named after the ark of God was captured.
Welcome to NYEKHWE PALACE
Kkkkk! Nyekhwe!!!
Unfortunately in life, one never chooses one’s nickname. The “Nyekhwe Palace” nickname was christened by social media commentators ( including myself). Reporters are just reporting what the public is saying.
Give a dog a bad name and hang it!
It’s a perfect name for the half completed residence
Quite frankly I am not of the belief that this Chunara guy deserves to get away with this case. Why are we always treating these people with kid gloves. What you are proposing can never happen in India. A Malawi ndiye zitsiru kobasi
Very right Herb. They all benefited from proceeds of fraud and all shd pay. Unless of course they dont have evidence and that one directly cooperated and negotiated at interogation then one has upper hand to be made a witness. But in this environment, pple wil say mwenye is getting away with it and that there is political victimazation.
I don’t think the mwenye is getting out of this for free. The mwenye guy accepted the responsibility here and his charge will be more of civil case. For Chisale,Mbilizi and Mukhito to go down both criminal and civil the mwenye guy is a big player
Why is Tonse protect amwenye. Someone didn’t pay 5 billion tax and you want to protect him by making him a witness against chisale. Why? Put them both in jail.
What you’re saying should have happened during the DPP “Nyekhwe” government. Now both APM (whose secret pin was used) and the mwenye are culprits. Onse ndi mbava
That’s for ACB and the courts. Munthu samakhala mbava chifukwa choti mbuzi ngati iwe wake Mba party nyasatimes. Pamafunika umboni. So far there is zero evidence of Apm conducting fraud according to ACB
Another mwenye criminal being treated with kid gloves, akatero waadyetsa a acb, police and court. This chunara deserves 30 years prison in addition to permanent ban from doing business anywhere in Malawi. His businesses should also be confiscated.
Chunara told me that he gave Chimwndo Banda MK500million to be shared between him, Matemba and the DPP
Mwenyeyo secret pin (confidential) ya APM anayiziwila kuti? APK connived (as in many many deals) ndi Chanura
This is pathetic. Chunara should face the same sentence as Chisale, otherwise the Tonse government has also been captured by amwenye. These two are accomplices and they benefitted equally. The pink dude can’t claim victim when he knew pretty well as a business person that goods are cleared through MRA and not state house. Chonde Chonde musaphyetse mtima amalawi pa nkhaniyi