PP slams Mutharika for calling JB as ‘Abiti Cashgate’

The People Party (PP), a party in Tonse Alliance has lambasted former President Peter Mutharika who is also leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for branding Joyce Banda as ‘abiti-Cashgate’.

On Saturday, the opposition DPP held a rally at St-Augustine Ground where he went to town attacking President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera and Joyce Banda.

In his speech, Mutharika described Joyce Banda as cashgate kingpin.

But reacting to Mutharika’s remarks PP spokesperson Ackson Kalaile Banda described the remarks as archaic.

“Peoples Party has learnt with disdain repeated provocations by Democratic Progressive Party leader, Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika, who at any opportune time expresses unsubstantiated scathing remarks towards our leader H.E Dr. Joyce Banda. Case in point is over the past weekend when he, during a rally in Mangochi, mockingly referred to H.E Dr. Joyce Banda as Abiti Cashgate. Peddling of such statements is uncalled for and beneath what is expected of him as Former President and responsible leadership in general.

“Peoples Party finds this sort of approach to political discourse very disturbing, unnecessary, archaic, and deceptive. Prof. Mutharika may need to be reminded that issues around Cashgate have and continue to be dealt with by credible international auditors, law enforcement agencies and Malawi’s trusted legal framework. Nine years down the line suspects have been arrested and prosecuted, some have been convicted while others have been acquitted following a due court process. The Baker Tilly independent investigative audit, which Her Excellency’s government commissioned, found no single evidence of her involvement in Cashgate,” wrote Banda.

“Prof. Mutharika may wish to be reminded that during his reign, the Anti-Corruption Bureau-ACB exonerated Dr Joyce Banda from any involvement in Cashgate, despite his government’s ill intentions to exact mob justice on her. He should be reminded further that Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda won a defamation case she brought before court following similar propaganda as Mutharika made in Mangochi. Surely, these processes could have implicated her at some point had she been involved. This should tell any sane and reasonable person that H.E Dr. Joyce Banda is in no way involved in Cashgate and that as President she acted swiftly to bring those suspected to have partaken in the loot be held accountable.

“It is for this reason that Prof. Mutharika must not try to divert people’s attention from real issues that mired his incompetent leadership and continue to haunt him to date. It is him who the Anti-Corruption Bureau established to have received K145 million from a local businessman to corruptly influence business links. Malawians also know now that he allegedly gave leeway to his cronies to abuse his Taxpayer Identification Number (TPIN) for other unrelated interests in what has been termed as 5-billion-kwacha Cementgate scandal. We will continue to resist the temptation to call him Mr. Cement.”

PP has since urged Mutharika to practice fair politics by presenting facts as they ought to be.