Bingu estate duty case Aug 7

The High Court in Zomba has set August 7 as the date for hearing of a case where government is claiming K5 billion from former president Bingu wa Mutharika’s deceased estate.

The case was set for hearing yesterday, but a notice of adjournment was served, advising that the matter would be heard on August 7 because of unavailability of the presiding High Court Judge Godfrey Mwase.

Government, through an estate commissioner, is claiming the K5 billion (about $12m) estate duty cut from Mutharika’s controversial deceased estate estimated at K61 billion by a private evaluator the State engaged.

But the Mutharika family, through daughters of the former president Duwa and Tapiwa, is challenging the government’s claim.

A last will and testament the late Mutharika left shows that his wife, former first lady Callista Mutharika, is not among the beneficiaries.

Last week, Callista and the family of her late husband agreed to appoint new administrators of the deceased estate, entering into an agreement filed before the High Court in Zomba to set aside letters of administration the two parties separately obtained from the courts.

The two parties resolved to settle the matter out of court.

Initially, Callista filed an application before the same High Court in Zomba to remove Duwa and Tapiwa as administrators of the deceased estate.

The former president, who died in office on April 5 2012, stated in his will titled ‘My Last Will and Testament’ written after the death of his first wife Ethel that no one of his relatives other than those mentioned shall have claim to the estate nor receive anything.

Ethel died of cancer on May 28 2007 and about two years later in 2010, while in his last term in office, Mutharika married Callista.