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| National |
| 3 Parliamentarians face graft charges |
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by
Joseph Langa, 05 February 2004
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17:50:31
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Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Fahad Assani is dragging to court three MPs, two from MCP and one for UDF, for allegedly helping an importer to evade duty for five vehicles, two of which are said to have been stolen.
Assani said in an interview on Monday that MCP’s Kizito Ngwembe and UDF’s Bamani Zgambo both from Kasungu and Chikoti Kumbuyo from Mchinji face three charges of abuse of office, official corruption and assisting an importer to evade duty.
The DPP explained that the three MPs used their privilege as legislators to clear vehicles for a Lilongwe based businessman Dave Banda to evade “some unquantified amount of duty”.
The DPP said that the MPs have already cleared three of the vehicles and that two are still on hold because they have been traced to be stolen cars.
“Investigations by the Police have revealed that the three vehicles were cleared in the names of the three MPs using their privilege as MPs. They were already summoned to explain why they allowed to abuse their offices to evade duty,” said the DPP.
Assani said that the three cleared the vehicles in their names and later the same day changed the ownership to Banda who imported the vehicles. But he did not specify when he will be taking them to court, saying he will look at the file any day this week.
Ngwembe said on Thursday in an interview the Police are investigating their involvement with Banda and that he has already questioned at the Police National Headquarters, Area 30 in Lilongwe.
He said he has already instructed his lawyers to defend him and denied that he abused his office.
He said that the vehicle he is accused of clearing on behalf of Banda, a Mitsubishi Colt registration number NU 2000, was actually his which he bought from Banda.
“I had to clear it using my privilege because it is my vehicle. We agreed K1 million and I already paid K500,000. It is just that the vehicle is still with Banda because I have not finished paying him but I have the blue book and the police know that,” said Ngwembe.
In another interview on Thursday, Kumbuyo dismissed the allegations levelled against him saying the car in question, a white Mercedes Benz NU 2402 is his car which he bought from Banda and he already paid three quarters of the total amount they agreed.
“When the police questioned me I was equally surprised that they were saying that the car belongs to Banda. I had to show them a blue book and I was surprised when I discovered that the police had another blue book in Banda’s name,” he said.
Kumbuyo said he has so far asked the police to release the vehicle saying he is afraid he may lose it because of what is happening.
Ngwembe suspects the police are holding his car on political grounds because Banda is NDA and he was sometimes using the vehicle for the party activities without his knowledge which he suspects triggered the police to start investigating the matter.
“In have no doubt this issue is political. I am surprised why the police are holding on to it. They questioned me regarding the issue and I showed them the blue book. Banda confirmed that the vehicle is mine and yet they still cling on to it,” said Ngwembe.
Zgambo could not be reached for a comment since Tuesday last week.
Meanwhile the DPP said, Banda who imported the vehicles that the MCP MPs cleared and another businessman Alick Sakala will also be prosecuted in the case.
Banda who was already arrested on January 10 and released on bail for the offence of importing stolen vehicles confirmed that the two vehicles belong to Ngwembe and Kumbuyo and wondered why the police are holding them.
“I was just keeping them because they (Ngwembe and Kumbuyo) still have a balance which they are supposed to pay me. There is very little remaining from Ngwembe and he has assured me that he will settle it,” he said.
Banda also dismissed the allegations that the vehicles have two blue books in different names following the change of ownership saying “any one can verify that with Road Traffic whether that allegation is true because they are supposed to keep records.
On the allegation that two of the vehicles are stolen cars, Banda said: “That is not possible. I am surprised because these vehicles were all checked by the same police including International Police (Interpol) before they were cleared. I suspect there is a better reason why they levelling these allegations on me”.
Meanwhile, the DPP said that he has instructed MRA and the police to conduct a thorough investigation on all other MPs because he suspects more of them are abusing the facility.
MP are allowed to clear one vehicle duty free within their five-year tenure as part of their privileges.
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