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| National |
| Mwawa, Kutengule to testify in impeachment trail |
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by
Mabvuto Banda, 22 October 2005
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04:58:33
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Confessions made to the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee by former Minister of Education Yusuf Mwawa and Secretary to Treasury Milton Kutengule, will be used as grounds to indict President Bingu wa Mutharika for an impeachment trail, it has been learnt.
Mwawa and Kutengule’s testimonies would now constitute the revised version of the grounds supposed to be used to indict Mutharika in the July meeting of parliament but could not go ahead because of the death of Speaker Rodwell Munyenyembe.
UDF spokesperson Sam Mpasu confirmed on Wednesday that Mwawa and Kutengule’s cases have become grounds for impeachment because of the revelations on the President’s alleged role in the abuse of public funds.
“These people testified before Parliament about how a cabinet meeting chaired by the President authorised Mwawa and others, for example, to use public funds to finance the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party). This is a clear violation of the law and evidence enough for impeachment,” Mpasu said.
Under both Statutory law and the Constitution, parties are not allowed to use public resources.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in May last year, underlined the provisions and set precedence when it ruled against the use of public resources by the UDF in Mutharika’s campaign.
Mwawa, who was sacked in March in a corruption row involving donor funds which he allegedly used to finance his wedding reception, is said to have revealed damning evidence in form of cabinet papers and minutes on a taskforce set up to use public funds for the party.
“I told the committee that this thing was rushed to the courts so that I am behind bars and the matter is swept under the carpet…whatever I did was under a collective cabinet decision, chaired by the President himself,” Mwawa said in a Nation interview two weeks ago.
Kutengule was also involved by way of moving funds into the Education Special Clients Account but declined to comment this week, saying he would not love to be dragged into a political wrangle.
He also testified before the committee over his involvement in the K20 million accounts uncovered at Finance Bank of Malawi in July.
Some members of the committee who asked for anonymity said Kutengule told the committee that he never did anything on his own.
“Kutengule is also on record telling the committee that he never acted alone,” Mpasu said.
The opposition led by Mutharika’s former allies in the UDF, are now set to impeach him on grounds that he misused public funds to pay for his grandchildren’s school fees and buy a Mercedes Benz Maybach limousine.
They also claim the he violated the Constitution by quitting the UDF to start a new party in a power struggle with his predecessor.
He is also accused of firing government officials without following the proper procedures.
This week, opposition managed a simple majority to push through procedures to impeach Mutharika.
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