…lied about using personal money
Former President Peter Mutharika used taxpayers’ money to buy buses worth K300 million for Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers.
Mutharika bought the Higger buses for Bullets and Wanderers in June. The buses were delivered to the two clubs on June 22, a day before the Fresh Presidential Elections in which Mutharika lost the presidency.
Mgeme Kalilani who was Mutharika’s press secretary claimed at the time that the Malawi leader used his own money to buy the buses.
However, it has been revealed that State House paid for the buses which were bought from Rashy Motors.
Managing Director of the company, Rashid ‘Rashy’ Gaffar, confirmed that the government paid for the buses.
Speaking with the local media this week, Kalilani said the person handling the transaction on behalf of Mutharika communicated poorly and made him (Kalilani) believe that Mutharika paid for the buses.
“When he was asked about the source of the funds for the purchase, he said ‘it was from the President’, which was understood to mean from the President’s own personal funds. But The correct position was that it was from the President’s Vote in the National budget handled by the State House,” Kalirani told the Weekend Nation.
Mutharika lost the presidency to Lazarus Chakwera in the Fresh Presidential Elections.
Meanwhile, social commentator Humphrey Mvula has asked the Chakwera administration to tell Mutharika to repay the money.
“This was fraudulent behaviour because he couldn’t have used government money on the pretext of being his own.”
