Mulli cries foul
The struggling Mulli Brothers Limited (MBL) Group of Companies has complained that government is employing delaying tactics to pay billions of kwacha the courts have awarded the company in different cases.
MBL Holdings managing director and chairperson Leston Mulli said in an interview on Thursday government has proceeded to file appeals in all cases the company won, including the obvious ones government should have simply complied with.
But Attorney General (AG) Anthony Kamanga, while confirming in an interview on Thursday that government has appealed on the different cases MBL won, said those were decisions made on point of law.
“These are matters that are in court. I do not want to argue with Mr Mulli or anyone else. Those claims [of delaying tactics] are his personal views,” Kamanga said, but was unable to state progress of the appeals.
But Mulli said Malawians, including those that are losing their jobs at MBL, know they are victims of political machinations by some politicians that want to see the company dead.
“It is not possible that you win five court cases and you have all of them appealed against by government.
“I do not regret having supported the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) under the leadership of the late Bingu wa Mutharika, that was my political choice, and you don’t expect government to punish innocent Malawians working with different companies under MBL,” Mulli said.
On June 5 this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court of Malawi, ordered the AG and Secretary to the Treasury (ST) to comply with a court order to pay about K2 billion (about $5m) for damages and loss of business to two companies owned by MBL Holdings.
The two companies—Sunrise Pharmaceuticals Limited and Chombe Foods Limited—suffered damages during the July 20 2011 anti-government demonstrations against economic malaise under the administration of Mutharika.
But government, through the AG’s office, appealed against the ruling.
The courts have made other judgements ordering government to pay MBL, including on cases where government failed to pay MBL on services/goods the company offered to different government departments, but appeals have been filed by government.
Lawyer Ralph Kasambara, while serving as minister of Justice and AG in the Joyce Banda administration, issued a directive in September 2012, stopping all government ministries, departments and agencies from dealing with MBL Holdings.
