Court evidence shows that Tonse Alliance partners received more than half a billion of what commentators describe as bribes in the greatest corruption scandal to hit Malawi after cashgate.
Business magnate Thom Mpinganjira revealed in court yesterday that he has been donating huge amounts money to politicians.
Mpinganjira donated about K100 million to President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party and more than K400 million to Vice President Saulos Chilima of UTM. The two parties are members of the ruling Tonse Alliance.
Mpinganjira also donated over K950 million to the Democratic Progressive Party which is led by former President Peter Mutharika while former President Joyce Banda also received about K40 million form Mpinganjira.
The businessperson owns FDH Bank but he said he used his personal funds to donate to the politicians as the laws to do not allows banks to fund political parties.
Commentators say the business magnet has been controlling Malawi’s leaders using bribes.
“Interesting revelations in court by Thom Mpinganjira. How he has been financing every single political party or political leader you know, each and every single one of them. Enormous sums of money. Now you know who controls our leaders – and our country,” said social media activist Onjezani Kenani.
“And we were, from the outside looking in, shouting ourselves hoarse in the run-up to last year’s election: “Investigate him!” “Arrest the guy!” Not knowing that the guy had all of them in his big, fat pocket,” wrote another social media activist Idris Ali Nassah.
Mpinganjira made the revelations while testifying in a case in which he is answering charges of attempting to bribe the five judges who were presiding over the 2019 presidential elections case.
