BY FRYSON CHODZI
Last night was one of the longest in my life. I thought of crying but ended up laughing because of the mixed feeling I was experiencing. Thom Mpinganjira’s testimony under oath made me realized what is wrong with our country especially to wake up to propaganda against him.
A few months ago another prominent businessman made such allegations but because it suited a certain part of our society, they went to town in celebration. But to me, it’s these are very sobering allegations made under oath in a court of law. Mpinganjira can’t be naïve and just be seeking attention with such allegations.
First, the morality of the judiciary has been put to test. Did the Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a profiling investigation on all the Concourt judges, before, during and after the Concourt case? Or even after the court costs settlement of about K5billion was paid? The ACB should be able to provide such evidence. Let us not lie to each other, to date there is still a belief and allegations in some quarters of the society that the presidential elections case was sold to the highest bidder, and as long as ACB does not provide the report on the lifestyle audit and profiling of the judges, this will be in public domain forever.
Second, are the issues that Mpinganjira raised about politicians and political parties getting donations and funding. The key question would be, who are the other donors to our political parties especially during the fresh elections? Who are these people and what positions do they hold now? This put in question the state capture in Malawi. I guess we should now be looking at two things.
The Chief Justice must institute a commission to investigate the damning allegations on the judges and the entire judiciary. For a witness under oath to state that a Judge of the Concourt was discussing others judges and that another judge is alleged to be pocketing bribes from cases he is presiding over must send shockwave in the Judiciary. Either the witness must face perjury or his claim must be investigated.
The Chief Justice must be worried with the part of evidence that Mpinganjira alleges that Malawi Congress Party (MCP) agents already knew as early as September 2019 that they had won the case. This was at the time that the case was still in session. This is a case of serious concern to all Malawians of high moral integrity and is satisfying the conspiracy theory that the case was anything but justice.
The other thing is a state capture inquiry and the need to unpack the influence of big time donors have on government decisions and appointments. It is still rumored that the current cabinet was an appeasement cabinet and also a way of compensating the donors who financed campaign and it’s important that we might need to know who financed what. Then the shock of it all is that, if Thom Mpingajira was before the courts on bribery allegation and our politicians were still begging for money from him, this put their integrity to test. I would like a situation that any politician who went to take money from Thom Mpinganjira after the allegations of bribes came into public, must resign from public office as they have proved they can support corruption and have no moral ground to hold a public office.
If I may refresh your memories, political party supporters and citizens attacked FDH bank after the allegations of the bribery and that it is financing politics, yet at the same time their own leaders were queuing to collect money from the founder of FDH. And I have a hunch that maybe even some members of the judiciary might have also formed their own line to get something from Mpingajira and he will either disclose as the case continues or he will not just to maintain semblance of respect for the Judiciary.
The other issue, under the financial crimes, whatever was happening was money laundering. These politicians must be investigated for being given cash without receipts of acknowledgement. This is a sad reality. Follow the money and you will understand my argument.
On the same vein, Parliament must institute an investigation of political party financing and change the law to make political party financing transparency. To date, no single political party and party leaders have disclosed sources of their funding yet they spent billions and billions on campaign and I would not be surprised that part of it can be proceeds of crimes.
This country has sold its soul to the devil in the name of politics. Now you understand why certain people are victims and other are rewarded. They claimed to drain the swamp but being financed from the swamp. Hated the rubble, but working with the same rubble in closed doors.
ACB and Government can do us a favor. Discontinue Thom Mpinganjira’s case or move in on all political parties and Individuals that their names have been mentioned by Mpinganjira. Any moral and sane leader would not have gone to Mpinganjira after January 2020 to get financing while he was being accused of trying to bribe the judges in one of the most defining cases of our country.
That politician has no moral ground to hold a public office and let alone be called a ‘Leader’
Signed, sealed and delivered.
