DPP defends Bingu’s K61bn wealth
The former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has defended the K61 billion wealth said to have been accumulated by former president Bingu wa Mutharika, who was also the party’s leader, saying he had the capacity to accumulate such wealth.
DPP leader in Parliament and a former cabinet Minister George Chaponda defended Mutharika in an interview after the issue of how the former president accumulated such wealth was raised during deliberations in the National Assembly, where government said the money was an indication of corruption at high level.
“The family of Mutharika will at some point respond to some of these issues, but as a party we feel that it is unfair to come up with conclusions because this was a president who worked for the UN, the World Bank, had farms and he was also a writer who kept on publishing books to make money,” he said.
Chaponda said as someone who retired in the UN at the grade of D1, it would not be surprising that he also had bank accounts with substantial amounts internationally.
“In the UN we get a lot of money and even myself I have bank accounts in several countries. Why should we be talking of corruption in the way he got the money,” he added.
Chaponda said the DPP was aware that exposing late Mutharika’s wealth was just a ploy by the current administration to damage the DPP but he said the party was not disturbed with such moves.
Chaponda also wondered how the figure of K61 billion has been arrived at saying that he personally quantified the figures but could not come closer to that amount.
According to court affidavits, government is claiming that Mutharika’s monetary wealth and real estate amounts to K61 billion which was being held as hard cash in various bank accounts.
It was the Deputy Minister of Finance Cornelius Mwalwanda who brought the issue of the K61 billion on the floor when he asked Jooma to explain whether Mutharika’s accumulation of such wealth explains why the country found itself in economic problems.
