Mutharika dismiss Chilima charges: Malawi leader tells Financial Times graft allegations ‘complete nonsense’
President Peter Mutharika has told a reputable UK based Financial Times newspaper that politics is at the root of vice-president Saulos Chilima’s allegations of corruption against him, saying they are “complete nonsense”.
Chilima, a 45-year-old former telecoms chief executive was handpicked by Mutharika to run alongside him in 2014 on the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) ticket but in June this year he quit the DPP citing corruption and nepotism. He has accused his boss of high-level graft, including over a $4m contract to provide rations to Malawi’s police force, called the scandal “the tip of the iceberg”
Following mounting calls for him to run in the May 2019 vote, he launched the United Transformation Movement (UTM), seeking to unseat the 79-year-old Mutharika, a former law professor.
Speaking to the Financial Times from his presidential palace in the capital Lilongwe, Mutharika described allegations of corruption levelled against him as “complete nonsense”, sayingsa politics was at the root of Chilima’s claims.
“He has simply decided he wants to be president,” said Mutharika.
“It is complete nonsense — it is all perception. Corruption is not greater now than it was before [the Cashgate revelations].”
He continued: “We are doing more development than at any time in the country’s history. If there was so much corruption there would be no money to do what we are doing.”
However, Chilima argued that corruption has worsened since Cashgate—the financial scandal involving looting of huge billions of taxpayers’ money at Capital Hill, echoing US President Donald Trump with calls to “drain the swamp”.
Civil society groups are organising anti-government protests on Septemebr 7 where among other thinsg they want to ask President Mutharika to step down after money linked to the $4m police contacts found its way into bank accounts of the ruling party.
Malawi’s main opposition party has called for the president to resign over a scandal that has provoked popular anger.
Mutharika insisted that K145 million (about $200,000) received as a political donation from the controversial supplier Zameer Karim of Pioneer Investments was returned as soon as the party discovered possible links to corruption.
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He has said corruption is not greater than before, this point indeed shows there is corruption and he is involved in it corruption us corruption no matter how big or small
Just PAY BACK the MONEY!!!
K145million to Malawians NOT Karim, the conmen!
If there is no corruption why is Maselema – Chiradzulu turn off dual carriage not completed. The road is less than four years old, but there are already many potholes. Low profile tyres are bursting everyday.
There’s corruption in each and every government and parastatal office. We have nowhere to run
Road Traffic Directorate
Immigration Department
Malawi Police Service
Department of Lands
ESCOM
And many more. Perception?
Mutharika must lead by example. Sizoti wina akayankhula mwati watukwana pomwe ana amayankhula zomwe amvakwa wamkulu. Mutharika akuyankhula zonyoza ena ndiye palibe vuto? Madonor akhala akunena kale zimenezo simunatsutse. Mwatsata pavunda khola chikhalire cho Mutharika ananenanso kuti corruption yafika poipa. .Koma ndiye upresident munaufunatu mbwiiye! Ndapakonda adasiyatu mkhonde.
The old man took this little boy from the boring seats of the telecommunications so he can test the fluffiness of major seats. Now the little boy wants the old man’s chair all to himself. If this little boy can betray his boss like that, it will be easy to betray us whom he doesn’t know. So we shouldn’t trust him with our votes.
Your name should be ZOBA not ZOBO KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK u think like a chicken.
eeee abale tamusiyeni cilima naye tione ma style ake. ndikayesa nanu mukatonena zopanga izi ndi izo mbweee, mwapangapo cani than kukolola posalima the big fat accounts . mumangongawana, muli phee kaamba palibe angakudzudzuleni. panotu a malawi siofudyumala ai. zinatha. ngati cipungu anabwezedwa pa joni akukabisa ndalama za madam plofesa dr mrs peter munthalika monga simunanadabwepo???????????????????????????????????
musiyeni klawusi.
Just waiting for the day SKC will share the list of those emptying public coffers. There is so much unexplained wealth in this country. A sure sign that something is wrong
Wat abt the army contracts to hotel Victoria
The Ganis of Hotel Victoria have stolen billions through MDF!
The list is too big
Ganis and zameer karima are just tips of rotten ice bergs