Bingu wa Mutharika’s death: Penemulungu will not speak about their meeting

Agnes Penemulungu, a DPP parliamentarian believed to be the last person in the company of the late president Bingu wa Mutharika when he collapsed at State House on April 5, says she will not speak about events of that fateful morning.

“I will not tell you anything, forget it. I have received several requests from media houses from Malawi and beyond but my response remains the same…No! If you want a story search for it elsewhere,” she told the media, outside parliament on Wednesday.

Penemulungu said she cannot be forced by the media to reveal exactly what happened as she has a right to remain silent, especially now that there is a commission of inquiry set by President Joyce Banda to find out the cause of death of the president and what happened in the immediate aftermath.

“The nation will hear the truth from the commission of inquiry. But the media will not get it from me,” the MP insisted.

The lawmaker has drastically reduced her public appearances since the day Mutharika died and her parliament attendance has also been erratic.

Penemulungu cut off media contact after the death of the former president and her husband, Lucky, said that his wife was ill and recovering from the traumatic events of April 5. He, however, promised that once she recovered, the parliamentarian would speak to the nation on exactly what happened when Mutharika collapsed during their meeting and on events soon after that.

Mutharika collapsed and died on April 5 after suffering cardiac arrest.

Former minister of Information Patricia Kaliati, who also had visited Mutharika on the fateful day,

is on record to have confirmed that Penemulungu was indeed the last person to have been in the company of the late Mutharika.

Speculation that Penemulungu was detained by the security services pressing her for answers on what led to the collapse and subsequent death of Mutharika has since been described by the police headquarters as untrue.

Meanwhile, the family of Mutharika has rejected the presidential inquiry into his death, saying facts around his death after the heart attack were already known.