Uladi accuses Malawi govt of victimising JB, forcing her to stay abroad

The former ruling People’s Party (PP) vice-president, Uladi Mussa has opened up on former President, Joyce Banda’s continued stay abroad, claiming government has the propensity to victimise her and denying her entitlements as former head of state.

Mussa claimed government is failing to provide Banda with official retirement home as stipulated by the Act of Parliament.

However, government has dismissed the claims as untrue.

In an exclusive interview with Star Radio on Monday evening, Mussa who is PP’s vice-president for central region, become the first party’s official to open up on real reasons Banda’s continued stay abroad, claiming there is a huge appetite from government to have Banda arrested on political inspiration.

”We know there is a prepared arrest warrant for her. But I don’t understand why government continues to victimize former Head of States,” said Mussa.

The former president told the local newspaper over the weekend that her nine-month absence from the country does not imply that she is in “self- exile”.

Banda explained that she made “a deliberate decision” upon leaving office in May 2014 that she was going “to step up onto the global platform and continue with my developmental work that I have done for the past 30 years”.

“This would provide an opportunity for the current President to run matters of the state without my interference.

“There is precedence that former President Bakili Muluzi stayed in the United Kingdom for a long time and nobody said anything and nobody called that ‘self-exile’. I have been out of the country for nine months and five out of those months, I have been in the United States from where I travelled to many countries to fulfil speaking and other engagements,” said Banda.

Banda further said there was no reason to fear any arrest as she was not implicated in the cashgate affair in the forensic audit report by British firm Baker Tilly.

And Minister of Information who is also government’s spokesperson, Kondwani Nankhumwa dismissed Mussa’s claims, saying there was no arrest warrant for Banda and that government once provided her with the official house.

”Information in our possession is that, there is no any warrant of arrest issued against the former President. I crosschecked with the law-enforcing agencies,” said Nankhumwa.

Nankhumwa claimed it was the wish of government to have Banda in the country enjoying her freedom like any other citizen.

On the issue of housing Nankhumwa said: ”Infact government provided her with the house last year; therefore those claims are not true”.

Earlier this year government disarmed some of Banda’s security personnel.

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