Zameer Karim case fails to take off: Malawi police food rations scandal
Businessman Zameer Karim and his lawyers on Thursday turned up at Lilongwe magistrates court at the start of the hearing of the infamous K2.7 billion police food rations case only to be told the hearing could not take place because the presiding magistrate was away for a workshop.
Karim (2nd r) with symapthisers at the court
The magistrate was supposed to commit the case to the High Court.
The absence of the court official did not please the graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) director Reyneck Matemba who is prosecuting the case.
“People always blame the ACB for delaying cases. We came here on time, the prosecution lawyers came on time, the defendants’ lawyers came here on time. We have waited here for one hour before we were told that the magistrate was not available,” said Matemba, sounding disappointed.
He said the court would have advised the prosecution team and the defendants that the magistrate would not be available for hearing.
Matemba said the ACB wants the case to be heard as fast as possible.
Karim, who is a top financier of theruling Democrtaic Progressive Party (DPP0, is answering charges of theft of public money in a K2.7 billion police food rations deal.
He was arrested along with two Malawi police officers; commissioner Innocent Botomani and senior superintendent Grant Kachingwe in relation to the US$3.9 million contract to supply food rations to the police.
A leaked ACB report says the interdicted head of finance at police, Botomani, and Karim had connived to award Pioneer Investments of Karim a contract to provide 500, 000 food ration packs.
Days after the contract was signed, Pioneer Investment allegedly asked for a change to the agreed price from K2.3 billion to K2.7 billion, the report says the change was fraudulently approved by Botomani.
When Karim was paid for supplying the food ration packs in 2016, he deposited K145 million into a DPP bank account whose sole signatory is President Peter Mutharika.
Following a public outcry over the vast donation, the party was forced to return it – but an ACB probe subsequently cleared Mutharika of personal wrongdoing.
After facing criticism for the decision, ACB boss Matemba later said it was his right to discontinue investigations in the absence of incriminating evidence.
Karim previously hit the headlines when it was revealed in July that he donated five vehicles worth a total of $115,000 to Mutharika who then registered them in his own name, according to published reports.
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Kunali UDF nthawi imeneyo pano ili kuti. Kowuluka kamatela nayo DPP idzatera
Typical DPP tactics. We knew this case was going nowhere. You will find that the workshop does not exist. And see what DPP did in parliament – it also frustrated the Financial services bill.
The so called Malawian of Asian origin kkkkkkkkkk Malawi has too many issues to work on before becoming a settled nation
soon We will hear the karim guy has been cleared off and is demanding compesation!! as it was with the maize saga…..anti corruption bereau with matemba as a boss is fond of clearing thieves of wrong doin!! i dont trust this body anymore its an insult to malawians to call it anti corruption bereau infact its supposed to be called corruption clearing body
Zameer is smarter than the Malawi justice system. He will beat it surely. His arrest was meant to win MCC grant from USA. Now that the grant is promised Zameer will be free soon. DPP cant bit a hand that feeds it.
He is not smart. He is a thief backed by thieves in government. Like the Guptas in SA at some point thought they were smart but are on the run now. And courts have ruled that Zuma is not only responsible for legal costs but that he should pay all that in retrospect.
I really don’t know what to say 🙄🤔
No Indian can ever be punished in Malawi. Like Trump they can kill, rape, loot, and nothing can ever happen to them. Cry Malawians cry because our corrupt leaders have sold their souls to these Indians. Malawi is not for us the indigenous it’s for these brown skinned Indians.
MFUMU SITOLA YA KU MACHINGA YANENETSA KUTI KATANGALE WOKOMERA INU WALEMERA
Zoonadi ndiye boma limenelo tilionera likatuluka pa 21 MAY 2019 kuti ngati lipangenso zaku bomazo hopefully boma lake ubwino wake ndi lija liri ku Zomba pafupi ndi Zomba Central Hospital.
next time tizavaso Magistrate bla bla bla kungoti ziiiii akamati boma ndendiimneyo