Former President Peter Mutharika
* Accuses the whole process as “a sustained political witch hunt by a State institution”
* In view of the previous conduct of the ACB towards me, I am reluctant to grant this interview
Maravi Express
As soon as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) prepared to interview Peter Mutharika in connection with the alleged abuse of his Taxpayer’s Identification Number (TPIN), the former President took the officers unawares by first presenting a preamble in which he declared that he would “listen to the questions” and if they “decide to proceed” he would exercise his “right to remain silent” unless he was told if he had “committed any offense”.
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He then told the officers that he would then seek legal advice on how best to respond to the questions and it was only then that he might have considered to respond to all or any of the questions.
The statement said: “In August 2020, the Fiscal Police questioned me under caution regarding the use of my Personal Tax Identification Number (TPIN) during the time I was the President of Malawi.
“The matter related to the unauthorized use of my TPIN in the importation of fertilizer by other people. I issued a statement that clarified my position in that matter denying my involvement in the importation of cement.”
He expressed surprise that the ACB never questioned him in any way but went ahead to freeze his bank accounts, citing the alleged use or misuse of his TPIN in that transaction.
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“You continued to keep the accounts frozen for over 270 days until you could no longer renew the Restriction Notice that froze the accounts.
“During that long period, I was not allowed to access the accounts even for my reasonable living expenses or to pay my bills.
Mutharika, a law professor, further said ACB neither charged nor informed why he was subjected to that kind of treatment, accusing the whole process as “a sustained political witch hunt by a State institution”.
He explained that after the expiry of the freezing order, the “ACB went to the Court to seek a preservation order under the Financial Crimes Act but the Court rejected the “underhand tactics”.
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“Now I am being called upon to answer questions by the ACB in what you have described as an interview for offenses I am not aware of. I consider this to be part of the continued persecution and harassment by the ACB and it is intended to humiliate and taunt me psychologically.”
He demanded to know the offence he has committed, saying “it is extremely strange that an institution like ACB with accusatorial and investigative powers would seek to interview me without disclosing the nature of offences that I am accused of.
“In view of the previous conduct of the ACB towards me, I am reluctant to grant this interview. If I, as a former Head of State must be called to answer these questions, then fairness demands that every previous President and Vice-President now living must be called upon to explain how their TPIN has been used,” he said.
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