assets: Banda
President Joyce Banda declared her assets early this year, the office of the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) said this week.
Deputy chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Willie Samute said in an interview the President declared her assets this year, but they could not respond to queries in the media on the issue.
“It is not our job to respond to each and everything that comes out in the media. To us what was important was the declaration and we forwarded that declaration to Parliament. The President declared her assets when she was only a minister, vice-president and early this year after she already assumed the reins of this country. If you want to know more talk to officials at Parliament,” said Samute.
OPC’s admission followed newly- appointed Minister of Water and Irrigation Brown Mpinganjira’s accusation that the office was to blame for not informing the nation that President Joyce Banda declared her assets this year.
In an exclusive interview in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Mpinganjira, who is a senior official in the ruling People’s Party (PP), said the misunderstandings on the wealth of the President have arisen because officials at the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) are withholding information from Malawians.
“The President told us that she declared her assets early this year. She declared her assets when she was Minister of Gender. She also declared [her assets] when she was vice-president and early this year she has also declared her assets.
“To me, all this misunderstanding is coming out because officials at the OPC have not come out into the open to tell the nation the real truth on the President’s wealth.”
Mpinganjira said when Banda assumed the presidency she was legally advised not to declare her assets because she had already done so when she was vice-president, but she decided to declare her assets to set a good example.
Efforts to talk to Speaker of Parliament Henry Chimunthu Banda proved futile as he is reportedly outside the country but Deputy Speaker Jones Chingola said the President declared her wealth, but the file was with the Speaker.
“The Speaker is the one who knows more on that issue but I remember being told that she declared her assets,” said Chingola.
