Some Civil Society leaders have demanded that President Peter Mutharika should relieve seven ministers, who have been implicated in the suspected K577 billion Cashgate, of their duties and responsibilities for more conclusive investigations and prosecution.
On Saturday our sister paper, Malawi News revealed that the initial 13 files of the K577 billion audit that the National Audit Office (Nao) has submitted to the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) implicated some seven serving ministers.
In a petition to Mutharika, the civil society leaders said Mutharika has serious problems embedded in his inner circle.
“As such they have never had the interests of the people they purport to lead at heart. Those seven and many others that might follow have in real sense defied your appeal for patriotism, hard work and integrity. They have enhanced your risk as head of state as well as personally of being a figurehead leader without commitment and dedication to the appeal to uphold principles of financial prudence,” the petition reads.
The petitioners, who include the outspoken Billy Mayaya, said they are persuaded to believe that wholesale robbery has been aided and abated by the sustained culture of disempowerment which has kept the masses ignorant, fearful, passive and subservient.
“The obvious direct control of flow of information has promoted this ignorance. Our national [State controlled Malawi Broadcasting Corporation] Radio and Television have remained the monopoly of government and the majority party. It has thus become a weird animal in the media zoo. This is the best the unitary government offers, an agent of oppression and repression,” the other part of the petition reads.
According to the activists, their biggest wonder is why the suspected ministers are still in service and why Mutharika has not made an official statement to that effect.
“Our take is that you are intent on protecting these individuals, by extending to them and misapplying and abusing the executive privilege, which by the way is also not absolute. That is our other reason for our outrage and anger, as it reflects a premeditated and deliberate action.
“We are grateful that the media released that report, convinced and duty bound that the rightful owners and beneficiaries of the national wealth being abused and looted – the citizenry needed to be told. The executive branch, Mr. President, has been cast into doubtful outlook, portrayed as criminally culpable, principally by shielding the seven in your Cabinet,” states the petition.
Last year, Nao subcontracted business and advisory firm, Price Water House Coopers (PWC), for a detailed scrutiny of government’s payment records spanning a period between January 1 2009 and December 31 2014.
The analysis report which PWC released in June last year found that while K577 billion worth of transactions could be shown in bank statements, the details could not be traced in the Capital Hill cash books raising fears that the money could have been plundered.
The analysis, therefore, led Nao to further examination of the books.
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