PAC asks Malawi govt to discontinue Muluzi case: ‘Chakwera, MCP took this position in parliament already’
Public Affairs Committee (PAC), a quasi-religious governance watchdog, has asked government to discontinue the case of former president Bakili Muluzi’s alleged K1.7 billion corruption case, a position which it says was already advanced in parliament by President Lazarus Chakwera and his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) while in opposition.
PAC formed in 1992 during the country’s political transition from one-party to multiparty system of government said in a statement assessing the year 2020 which tackles governance issues, saying the Muluzi case should be discontinued and “a political solution should be sought as it has been a waste of taxpayers money.”
In a statement, co-signed by PAC chairperson Patrick Thawale and publicity secretary the Reverend Gilford Matonga, the body cites the lengthy court case that dates back to 2005 as a waste of public funds.
Muluzi, 80 is being tried along with his former secretary Lynes Whiskey as government claimed 1.7 billion Malawian kwacha ($12 million) in the former president’s account during his 1994-2004 presidency came from donors.
But court documents shows most of the funds were from his business empire and donation for his political party campaign from Taiwan, Morocco and Libya which were paid in his name and not for government.
PAC observed the case of Muluzi “became a political tool in the fight against corruption” when his handpicked successor late Bingu wa Mutharika came to power.
The quasi-religious body question the rationale of spending taxpayers money in such matter which has not yielded results in the past 14 years.
“PAC is of the view that the matter be discontinued through dialogue in a bid to secure a political solution. The government expenditure on such a prolonged matter is huge and the tendency to activate such a matter for political gains has been a dent in the pursuit of the rule of law.
“The use of a statute in such a manner is tantamount to the ‘weaponization’ of the law – a view that has been previously voiced,” reads the statement in part.
PAC also cites previously pronounced positions made by Chakwera and members of MCP while in opposition benches in parliament when they called for discontinuance of Muluzi’s case.
“We further take notice of remarks made in the Year 2020 by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) asking government to drop all corruption charges against former president, Bakili Muluzi. On this point we recall that the party’s Member of Parliament for Kasungu South East, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, made a plea on 25th February during Parliamentary deliberations asking government to drop the charges against Dr. Muluzi,” reads the statement.
Chiponda, now Minister of Health, is on record to have said in parliament: “The former president is ageing. I feel the case has become torturous to him and it is costing taxpayers money.”
PAC strongly calls upon the current regime to ensure that the matter takes the route of political solution.
“By taking this position, PAC is in no way stating that people must go scot-free in the fight against corruption nor do we condone abuse of office. From public policy point of view, the matter has been a waste of resources and an essential political tool for those in power to silence the Former Head of State,” the body said.
Former graft-busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director general Reyneck Matemba recently also said the 14-year-old Muluzi case needs political solution.
Matemba doubted if the case can come to a conclusion using the judiciary.
“My own personal opinion is that the case needs a political solution, that is my personal opinion,” said Matemba without explaining much.
Matemba, a practising lawyer, recused himself from prosecuting the case, citing personal reasons when he was deputy director at ACB.
His former boss director Lucas Kondowe had been on record saying he had serious “reservations” with certain aspects of the K1.7 billion corruption case.
The former ACB boss said before he joined the bureau, his opinion of the Muluzi case was like most people, “which was an opinion driven by the media reports that I had read from various sources.”
Kondowe said when he became head of ACB he requested to review the files to “understand the facts of the case thoroughly instead of just receiving the button and running with it.”
He said: “This is one of the best documented cases I have ever seen at the Bureau with over 16 files of material and a great amount of money spent travelling across the globe, conducting interviews and collecting data and various materials. Thanks to the British government which financed most of this work.
“I have also held private discussions with two of my predecessors who presided as DG(s) at the material time. I will not discuss the details of those discussions as they were private. I have enormous respect and admiration for these two great sons of Malawi for their service to the nation.”
Kondowe said: “I have expressed reservations with certain aspects of the case which I have discussed with my colleagues at the Bureau in great detail. We have had numerous debates on certain matters that I feel strongly about and would like these resolved as they would have dire consequences.”
The former president has always said the charges were politically motivated.
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He needs to be cleared in a court of law. PAC is useless, it should be discontinued.
Muluzi is not above the law and we should not set a wrong precedence here. Suppose CHakwera stole billions of Kwachas, are we going to spare him for that. Did Muluzi not arrest and put Kamuzu on trial in 1994-95? Did Muluzi not investigate Kamuzu accounts in UK thinking that the later was stealing our money. Let Muluzi face trial. I repeat we need people in high offices to be of high integrity and character. There was none in Muluzi. He was fired in MCP on the same grounds of stealing. He let corruption thrive in Malawi. The standards of everything went down. He brought divisions among Malawians. He is evil. He brought the Muthalikas to continue with his agenda of tribal politics.
Please make sure we don’t set a precedent
The political solution will mean that Muluzi demands his son be included in the Tonse Cabinet and make it clear that he doesn’t lose his post in any Cabinet reshuffle. Alternatively, Muluzi will sue the Government and demand a lot of money. Whichever path Tonse Government will take, Muluzi is eager to squeeze you hard.
Nkhani ya Muluzi ilibe umboni wokwanira . Go and ask Matemba. He openly said no one can successfully prosecute that case . So PAC is really justified and it vindicates what Reneck said . There are volumes and volumes and files at ACB some of which are even missing at the moment. Even the inhouse prosecutors at ACB do not have comprehensive evidence to tender to Court. They just receive allowances, take ACB car to Blantyre , sleep at Ryals Hotel. eat nice breakfast than what they can afford at their unprotected homes in Area 23, 24 and 25, go to court and ask for an adjournment saying they need to consult. In this way, the government spends our tax money. Please drop it and later he will sue the government and claim huge compensation from Govt than what we already spent on the case. ” To whom he has more shall be given” . it is said so in the New testament
If we can’t afford to hire a foreign high court judge to handle the case then indeed it must be dropped. Zinamveka kanthawi kena kuti majaji athu akuikana nkhaniyi pazifukwa zao ndipo ndayamba kukhulupirira tsopano. Ngati ndikunama ndiuzeni of course mlanduwu unaima koma uli mmanja mwa jaji uti?
As a Malawian I disagree with PAC. Malawian have suffered a lot because of muluzi. If he is guilty he had to face the law.
Akulu akulu mwalankhula zamveka, zikomo. Kuti izi zimveke ndipo dzikonso likhululuke ndife amene Muluzi anatibera osati OChakwera ayi. K1.7 billion tikudziwa komwe iri ndipo chimodzi cha zithuzo ndi Kheza Park abwezere kwa aMalawi. Tiwerengerane katundu yemwe K1.7 idagula basi mulandu watha. Mufuna kuti OChakwera akatenga yawo K1.7 billion tizizanena zomwezi. A Muluzi bwezani katundu yense yomwe ma billion anagula kwa aMalawi.
If there is a group that has an exaggerated sense of its own importance in Malawi, it is PAC. Through the years, they have been going to dine and wine with Malawi’s rulers at State House without bringing any tangible benefits for the long suffering people of Malawi.
As far as I am concerned, the only people who genuinely confronted authority in Malawi on behalf of the common person without an iota of fear for their own well being are the 1992 Catholic bishops and one Chakufwa Chihana. The rest, including PAC, are mere opportunists pretending to fight for the cause of the downtrodden Malawian while enjoying their privileged positions vis-a-vis the government of the day. HRDC, do you hear this?
PAC….
Don’t be stupid on Bakili case Mzomera Ngwira,Uladi Mussa etc are serving jail term with corruption of not even a million Kwacha,in case of Ngwira….why must Bakili be forgiven,munadya nayo eti…MK1.7 billion,Alot of money,he must pay back or let him lot in Jail..
PAC,who did the accounts for you to come out, with what you are saying….
Mind you, PAC isn’t Malawi that whatever you say,tizikumcerani.Chakwera, don’t listen to them don’t forgive corrupt x president Muluzi.
Happy New year PAC….we support you but not on forgiving Muluzi issue.
Regards
Mzakwacha Nixon
Mzakwacha Village
Bolero-Rumphi.
……………………………………….
Durban
Kwazulu Natal
+27724922299
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He must just go step down. Chilima must take over. Eee mpaka zaka 5 sipano. Step down Chakwera step down simukutha ntchito kapitilizeni ku Tchalichi
Stupid PAC. Why intervening in legal matters? Muluzi has always run away whenever he’s been needed to answer za kuba kwake. Mlandu sumaola, hence let’s get to the bottom of it.
khumbize and PAC pleeeeease put your arses down .dont fool us. with your crafty case. what are you implying here. are we talking of age or case ???? u mean all the sged should not be tried or convicted? sick childish mind. .
the old stinky cow need to be tried.
tiope kuti was donor money? kodi akulandilabe pano?
shupiti
PAC is stupid, why only Muluzi case? Malawi will never be developed. Everything is politics. A religious body doing politics. Stupid PAC.
The PAC are pro-government cycles. NGATI MALAWI INAYAMBA KUBVUTIKA ITS BECAUSE OF MBAVA IYI BAKILI MULUZI. ADAGULA JUDICIARY YONSE OF APPEAL. KUBA ALIBE NAKO MANYAZI MPAKANA KUMANGA NYUMBA KU BCA HILL AND ZINYUMBA KWA A KAPOLOMA MBAVA YENI YENI IMENEYI A COURT WAILEPHERA.MUNTHU AMENE SAKONDA DZIKO LAKE. AKANAKHALA MUNTHU CHABE JUDICIAARY AKANAMUMANGA KALE KALE.CHISILU CHAMUNTHU. MULUNGU ALIKO PAC YONSE ITHA ONE BY ONE.
The major problem in this case was Muluzi himself. Every time they go to court he feigned illness and off he went to South Africa for treatment. He has always done this and the government has tolerated it. When there is no case, Muluzi is as strong as a rugby player. What were foreign government giving money to an individual for? He was going there as Malawi president and pocketing the money as his own.
Remember in Egypt, they were taking their former leader on a hospital bed right into the court room. This is what we need.
Tawerenganso bwinobwino article yi……
It would be a big mistake to drop the charges against Bakili. Part of the reason the case has taken this long is because he was feigning illness whenever he was to appear in court, only to be seen jogging the day after! We can’t let this cheap tactic succeed. And there was lots of political interference. The Mutharika Crime Family simply used him to get the Yao vote, especially during the time of APM. In turn, the crafty Bakili played his weak political hand deftly.
Look, Bakili has always been corrupt — way back from his six pounds days. So even as a kid, he was a corrupt little sonnamabitch!
I understand the Taiwanese govt was willing to testify in court that the money they sent to Malawi was for the govt of Malawi and not for Bakili’s pocket. But then, we were never serious about prosecuting him, and we had broken off our ties with the island nation. At any rate, it makes little sense for three governments to send a president of Malawi money just so he could have some fun. It never happens in real life.
PAC listen to me and my family. This is nonsense. It takes public resources to fight corruption. This is retrospective move vs corruption. Those government gave money to Malawians and not Muluzi as a person. When asking for the support he Muluzi used our data and information and social and economic status. If they are that moving this country backgrounds are the faith community. You support impunity, tribalism and do no question maladmnsitration. You blind fold your followers in believing that you work on their behalf and you fatten your bellies. Let Muluzi serve hos jail term to warn after him. Or get back from him what he owes Malawians