Former Assistant Director in the Ministry of Tourism Leonard Kalonga has implicated former President Dr. Joyce Banda in money laundering case where money amounting to MK3. 7 billion is believed to have been siphoned from government coffers.
Kalonga made the revelations on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to defraud government, facilitating money laundering and offence of money laundering.
The former assistant Director also implicated cashgate convict Oswald Lutepo and former Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo whose shooting on September 13, 2013 lead to the massive revelations of the plunder of public funds dubbed cashgate.
In his plea before Lilongwe High Court Judge Fiona Mwale, Kalonga said Mphwiyo told him that the money which was being defrauded from government was for campaign of former president Joyce Banda’s People’s Party (PP).
Kalonga said he once head Cashgate convict assuring former President Dr. Joyce Banda that the money for the last year’s general election campaign will be found through phone conversation.
He said the phone conversation was in such a way that he could hear what was being said between Lutepo and the other person he believed was the former president.
This is not the first time for Banda to be implicated in the ongoing investigation to the plunder of public funds.
Lutepo also public told one of the privately owned radio [Zodiak Broadcasting station] that his company was just being used to siphon public money but the main beneficially was the former President Dr. Joyce Banda the claims which she vehemently denied.
As this was not enough, one of the suspects in the shooting of former budget Director Paul Mphwiyo demanded Banda and former Presidential chief guard.
Meanwhile Banda is yet to respond to the claims leveled by Kalonga.
