Bakili Muluzi’s corruption case starts again next month

Jan 04, 2016 Politics 279
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Malawi24
Muluzi

The MK. 1. 7 Billion corruption case involving the Malawi’s former  President Bakili Muluzi is expected to resume in court in February, Malawi24 has learnt.

For over six years, Muluzi has been answering charges of corruption in which he is accused of squandering public funds amounting to 1.7 billion Kwacha.

According to reports, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) spokesperson says the it will not drop the case as feared by the media, but was preparing for an appearance at the Constitutional Court in February.

Reports that Malawi24 has been following show that with a strenuous effort from government, the case would have been dropped.

Bakili Muluzi
Muluzi; His case returns in court next month.

Reports suggest that this is due to the cordial relationship the current government has with the 72 year old.

According to  ACB the case is coming again in February, 2016, when the High Court will hear from Muluzi’s lawyers and ACB on the application that the matter be referred to the Chief Justice for the Chief Justice to certify it as a constitutional matter and then refer it to the Constitutional Court for determination.

“Both parties were given 21 days to prepare and file their submissions, beginning with Dr. Muluzi’s lawyers as the applicants and then serve those submissions on the State and the court. The bureau is still waiting for those submissions to be served on it by Dr. Muluzi’s lawyers,”  ACB Publicist is on record as having said.

The case which the ex Malawi leader claims was politically driven by late President Bingu wa Mutharika, whom he was not in terms with was recently in the media as Chief Justice Andrew Nyirenda opted to refer back to the High Court his (Muluzi)  application or a  constitutional review on the corruption case.

Muluzi together with Violet Whisky wanted the Supreme Court to direct that the High Court, sitting as a constitutional court, should determine that the charges were politically motivated and, therefore, should be dismissed.

But Nyirenda since faulted the High Court for referring the matter to the highest court before weighing the arguments.