Mutharika clears DPP from Cashgate: ‘Malawi ex ruling PP must answer for it’

President Peter Mutharika has rejected suggestions that his government is not revealing names faulted in the report by British audit firm, Baker Tilly, on Cashgate because some of his ministers or members of his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are implicated.

Mutharika told the local media in Malawi’s commercial, Blantyre, that the former ruling People’s Party (PP) and its leadership are wholly to blame for the scandal.

“Fisi anakana nsatsi (a vernacular idiom to emphasise denial of responsibility). This was the work of PP and its leadership and they must answer for it. DPP was never involved,” said Mutharika in a response to a question from a journalist on why his government was not keeping a campaign promise to make public the identities of culprits in the British auditng firm’s report.

He was addressing a news conference on the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America from where he returned on Wednesday last week.

The report was presented in the Malawi National Assembly on Friday by Minister of Justice, Samuel Tembenu, but names and particulars of suspected wrongdoers were kept under wraps.

“Cashgate happened between April and September 2013. At the time, the DPP was not in power. Therefore, my ministers could not have been responsible,” explained Mutharika.

The Malawi leader said he had a meeting with Tembenu on Friday who presented a copy of the report to him but he was yet to read it.

“I am informed there are names there,” said Mutharika.

“ I can assure you that these names will be given to the people of Malawi. I will not target anyone and I will not protect anyone. I will simply act according to the law,” added the Malawi President.

Baker Tilly of London were outsourced to audit the plunder of resources christened cashgate to provide credibility to the exercise.

A revised figure shows that about K20 billion was looted by a syndicate of public officers, politicians and private citizens.

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