Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) treasure Henry Mussa appeared to defend former agriculture minister George Chaponda when the two testified in court on Tuesday.
The two cabinet ministers were paraded as witnesses in a case in which Chaponda was charged with possession of foreign currency.
Chaponda claimed that the K95 million belong to the ruling DPP and he also showed the court a permit for possession of the foreign currency. The forex licence was signed by Gondwe.
Appearing as a witness, Mussa said the party allows regional structures of the party to keep money fundraised in the regions hence Chaponda who is DPP vice president for the South could have been keeping DPP money.
“In DPP, we run a decentralised policy in party finances. There are provisions that Dr Chaponda as party vice-president for the South is an overseer of the party assets, finances and all other resources at regional level,” said Mussa who is also Minister of Tourism.
In his testimony, Gondwe said Chaponda’s forex licence is genuine and confirmed that he (Gondwe) issued the permit to Chaponda in 2004.
According to Gondwe, the permit was given to Chaponda as a cabinet minister and an individual.
But the finance minister failed to tell the court where Chaponda was supposed to keep the forex and the amount Chaponda was supposed to have at a time.
Earlier, RBM exchange control, monitoring and statistics manager Griffin Phiri told the court that only the bank can issue forex permits and Chaponda was not given any such permit by the bank.
Chaponda is also answering two other charges which are giving false information to Anti-Corruption Bureau and influencing a public officer to misuse his position.
The court is expected to make a ruling on whether Chaponda has a case to answer.
Malawi will not achieve.
Hearsay is always half a lie. If some of you are sure that Chaponda is not clean in the purported maize gate scandle, just come out and testify against him in a court of law since you have evidence. Don’t hang up somebody because of politically cooked stories which are bent to dent the image of innocent people. I can’t call him a thief for one reason and that is because I have no evidence. If anything, I can side with you if you talk of money laundering because of the huge cash which was found in his house, not maize gate.
Birds of the same plumage flock together,if they don’t defend him the whole titanic ship will crumble and submerged,kkkk only tym will tell.
It clearly shows all of them are involved!!
anthu oipa kwambiri onseo
Eshi mwana wamfumu salakwa.
Mbava zokhazokha ziyenela kupangana defend
Birds of a feather what else could they do except flock together