Pika Manondo, who handed himself to police on Thursday in connection with the shooting of budget director Paul Mphwiyo and the ensuing Capital Hill cash-gate, told Weekend Nation this week, that he will reveal how some powerful people were able to sidestep Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) internal controls to loot billions of public money.
In an exclusive interview before he surrendered himself, Manondo also threatened to disclose beneficiaries of the Capital Hill looting to investigators of the matter.
In other unfolding events also connected to the matter, police yesterday arrested former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Ralph Kasambara and the High Court in Zomba adjourned to Tuesday the bail application of businessperson Osward Lutepo.
But Monondo said he would give his side of the story.
The former National Assembly employee said he left the country through Mchinji border three days after Mphwiyo was shot at the gate of his Area 43 residence and airlifted to South Africa for treatment.
As part of investigations, police on Tuesday broke into a safe deposit box at First Merchant Bank (FMB) belonging to Manondo where they retrieved US$184 000 (about K75 million) in cash.
Said Manondo on Tuesday: “I am glad that Scotland Yard is involved in the cash-gate investigations. I am ready to help with information on how a powerful cartel was able to sidestep Ifmis internal controls to loot billions.
“I believe that my presence will assist the police in uncovering the real masterminds behind the Mphwiyo shooting in the cash-gate. Two events are very related. [I will also] assist in identifying the main beneficiaries of the cash-gate…We all know it’s not the junior servants arrested,” he said.
Manondo claimed that before Mphwiyo’s shooting, some people involved in the cash-gate plotted to influence the removal of Kasambara from the Cabinet because it was believed that he alerted the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
“It was also feared that his legal prowess and track record in court could be the looters’ undoing. i.e. his habit of getting the small fish to testify against the big boys. Like now, chances are that the small fish arrested would have been State witnesses against the big fish who are still scot-free and may never be brought to book,” he claimed.
But in an interview on Thursday, Kasambara said he was aware that some people in the ruling People’s Party (PP) were not comfortable with his being in Cabinet, but he denied having reported the Capital Hill cash-gate to ACB.
“A senior member of PP asked me to influence the ACB to drop the investigations they were carrying, but I refused because I said as a Justice minister, I did not have that influence as ACB is an independent body,” said Kasambara.
Manondo said he was not afraid to face the law and that he is ready to explain to police what he knows about Mphwiyo’s shooting on September 13 2013 and the infamous cash-gate at Capital Hill.
Said Manondo: “The time I left the country, I was not wanted by any authority. The issue of warrant of arrest only occurred when I was out of the country. I was sent on a business errand.”
Both Kasambara and Monondo were in police custody yesterday.
Deputy spokesperson Kelvin Maigwa confirmed the arrests of the two in connection with the shooting of Mphwiyo.
But he said they had not been charged (as we went to press).
“Kasambara is being kept at Kanengo Police and is suspected to have taken a part in the shooting of Mphwiyo. We are suspecting he masterminded the whole thing, but was not involved in the actual shooting, while Manondo is at Lilongwe Police and has been picked on suspicion that he took part in the actual shooting. Both have not been questioned,” he said.
Meanwhile the High Court in Zomba yesterday adjourned to Tuesday the bail application of Lutepo as the State was not ready with the case.
State lawyer Mapundi told Judge Godfrey Mwase that they were served with the application at around 11 am on Thursday and had no time to prepare a response arguing they had to seek direction of the matter from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Said Mapundi in court: “The State has not been able to give its response yet. We seek adjournment of the bail application and suggest Wednesday as an appropriate date for us to respond.”
But Lutepo’s lawyer Jai Banda replied: “I would suggest Saturday as appropriate date but in the interest of justice, Tuesday would be ideal for the response to the bail application.”
The judge then adjourned the case to Tuesday at 2pm.
Lutepo is being charged an offence of money laundering. He has been on police wanted list in connection with the shooting of Finance Budget director Paul Mphwiyo on September 13 2013. He surrendered himself to the police on Wednesday.
Last week, police searched Kasambara’s house in Area 10 to look for a vehicle alleged to have been used in the shooting, but Maigwa said it was not found.
“We did not find the vehicle that time, but as police, we continued with our investigations, we interviewed people and after making thorough research, we realised that somehow, we needed to arrest Mr Kasambara,” he said.
Police has already arrested three other people in connection with Mphwiyo’s shooting. These are McDonald Kumwembe, Robert Kadzuwa and Dauka Manondo.
Additional reporting by Paida Mpaso and Joy Khakona
