CSOs want Peter to return Area 10 house

Civil society organisations (CSOs) under the Forum for National Development yesterday called for the return of all houses government said some people, including DPP president Peter Mutharika, obtained illegally during the DPP rule.

In a statement issued at a press briefing in Lilongwe, the CSOs said the houses should be returned to government in light of revelations that they were bought at undervalued prices and without following procedures.

“These houses were wrongly obtained. They were wrongly bought in terms of prices. We want Professor Peter Mutharika’s house at Area 10 to be given back to Lilongwe City Council.

“We are going to have tripartite elections next year which means that Lilongwe will have a mayor. The house which Peter Mutharika bought is the one which used to be the mayor’s house in Lilongwe City. Where will the new mayor stay next year?” said the forum’s chairperson Bright Kampaundi.

The forum called on government to investigate the issue of ‘wrongly’ obtained government houses with the same zeal as that attached to the cash-gate scandal at Capital Hill.

“There are so many houses which were wrongly bought in several locations like Area 3 and Area 12 by politicians and civil servants,” said Kampaundi.

Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola on Thursday told Parliament that Mutharika obtained the Area 10 house fraudulently, accusations Mutharika said were untrue as he said he followed all necessary procedures.

Mutharika said all properties he and his late brother, Bingu, obtained were acquired properly and challenged government to go to court over the same.

He not be reached on his phone yesterday.