Uladi back in court for issuing Malawi passports to foreign nationals

A case in which former minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Uladi Mussa is answering charges of aiding at least 55 foreigners to illegally obtain citizenship while he was a Cabinet minister is nearing completion after prosecution has finished parading its  witnesses at Lilongwe High Court.

In court on Thursday, the last prosecution witness, Exton Kamkwete, an Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) principal investigator, submitted to court memos, bank deposit slips and letters of application from foreign nationals.

Kamkwete was the 16th officer witnessing against Mussa in the case and State prosecutor Kamudoni Nyasulu told the court he was the last witness.

Nyasulu said Kamkwete’s objective material evidence will help to prove beyond doubt that Mussa, now vice president of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for central region, committed a criminal act by illegally issuing passports to foreign nationals.

The evidence points to the fact the bank deposit slips which were attacked to documents were fake and that there was no original documents at the Immigration Department since most of the transactions were done at ministerial level when Mussa was minister.

The evidence shows some Burundians, Rwandans and Ugandans were legally given business and residence permits following transactions done at ministerial level.

The State prosecutor said the passport booklets will also be tendered as evidence in the case.

“We have presented our case and objective material evidence. What is remaining is up to the court to determine whether the accused has a case to answer or not,” said Nyasulu.

The defence lawyers asked   Justice Chifundo Kachale to adjourn the case to the comprehensive evidence bundle before cross examining the last witness.

During the trial, first State witness, former chief Immigration officer Hudson Mankhwala, outlined the process for obtaining various permits such as student, visitors, citizenship, temporary residence and permanent residence.

Nyasulu said evidence would show that staff at the Immigration Department and members of the public eclipsed senior public service management on the pretext of serving leadership at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security.

The prosecutor said this incompetence created a fertile ground in the ministry for fraud.

The graft-busting body ACB arrested Mussa in March 2017 on charges of negligence and abuse of office but Mussa said at the time that his arrest was politically-motivated as he was in opposition ranks.

He handed himself to the ACB after reports surfaced that the bureau wanted to arrest him in relation to the granting of citizenship and passports.

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