Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika and wife Gertrude Mutharika’s bank accounts which contain “a lot of money” have been frozen as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigates the K5 billion cement scandal.
The bureau has also frozen accounts belonging to former Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) Deputy Commissioner General Roza Mbilizi and Mutharika’s ex-bodyguard Norman Chisale.
Malawi News has reported that the Bureau` has moved in after noticing that there were strange withdrawals from the accounts of the four, all of whom are suspected of being involved in the cement scandal.
“We have frozen two Mutharika accounts; one that is solely owned by the former president and another, a joint account with his wife. One account for Chisale and three accounts for Roza Mbilizi at NBS Bank, National Bank and Standard Bank,” one person close to the investigation told the Malawi News newspaper.
The ACB source added the frozen accounts contain a lot of money.
In the Cement scandal, over 1.2 million bags of cement worth about K5 billion were imported into the country duty free from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
According to documents, Peter Mukhitho who was Director of State Residences in Mutharika’s administration on several occasions asked the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) to provide clearance for the duty free cement.
Documents also show that the cement was imported by Mohammed Ahmed Chunara, owner of Prestige Import and Export.
Police last month questioned Mbilizi and Mukhito. The Police also arrested Mutharika’s former bodyguard Norman Chisale and Chunara who are answering charges of fraud and money laundering.
Mutharika said last month that he neither bought nor instructed anyone to buy or import the cement in question.
