State parade first witness in Muluzi’s MK1.7 billion corruption case

The state prosecutor on Thursday managed to parade principal witness Victor Banda in the corruption case involving former President Dr. Bakili Muluzi and his personal assistant Lyness Whiskey.

Muluzi is being accused of misappropriating an equivalent of $11 million in public funds during his tenure of office.

In his testimony, Banda, former deputy director of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) conceded that the state should reduce the figure K1.7 billion saying some of the money was erroneously added to the case.

Banda said out of MK1.7 billion, Mk20 million was not corruptly acquired.

But ACB deputy director Reyneck Matemba who is also the state prosecutor in the case objected this, saying the defense was using unorthodox means to squeeze evidence from the state witness.

During cross examination Chokhoto took task Banda to explain the basis on which ACB used to arrest and charge Muluzi on corruption when the evidence tendered in court does not indicate that the accused had acquired the money corruptly.

For example it was learnt that on one occasion Muluzi’s account received money amounting to MK 3 million after supplying sugar to Kalaria wholesalers.

This money was said to be part of the charge. Another evidence tendered in court was Muluzi received money from a company owned by his former wife, Annie.

On this Chokhoto asked the witness if it was unusual for a wife to deposit money in an account belonging to a husband.

He also pinned the witness to prove to the court if the ACB had any evidence that the money was meant to bribe Muluzi to which the witness only said that the ACB charged Muluzi of corruption because he chose to remain silent when he was interrogated by the anti graft body.

Banda explained to the court that the objective of its investigation was simply to establish the income of Muluzi and compare it against what he was supposed to have considering his official income during the period he was head of state.

Meanwhile the case is proceeding at the High Court today.