Former president Joyce Banda and her predecessor Peter Mutharika continue to engage in a verbal war over their alleged past flaws.

This time around, the ‘fight’ began after Mutharika, who defeated Banda in the 2014 Presidential Election, during a public rally in Mangochi on Saturday called his predecessor Abiti Cashgate, implying that she was at the centre of the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill in 2013. He further accused her of ruining Malawi’s economy.

Former president Peter Mutharika

He said: “Monga mukudziwa mu 2014, tinabwera m’boma titamuchotsa Abiti Cashgate uja, chuma chinali chovunda kwambiri, koma ife tinachikonza [You will recall that in 2014, we took over government after kicking out Abiti Cashgate, the economy was very bad, but we fixed it’].”

Meanwhile, Mutharika’s remarks have riled People’s Party (PP) which through its spokesperson Ackson Kalaile Banda yesterday described him as “a clueless, incompetent and untruthful leader”.

He accused Mutharika of engaging in corruption with a local businessperson to corruptly influence business links.

In apparent reference to a case currently in court on alleged abuse of Mutharika’s duty-free import privileges through importation of K5 billion worth of cement, Banda said PP will resist the temptation to brand him ‘Mr. Cement’.

Former president Joyce Banda

He said: “We will continue to resist the temptation to call him ‘Mr. Cement’. He must quickly accept the reality that Malawians booted him out of power because of such. He should, therefore, not mark his return to the political podium with the same pedestrian strategy that cost him the presidency in 2020.”

Banda said PP has learnt with disdain repeated provocations by Mutharika, who allegedly makes unsubstantiated scathing remarks towards its leader.

He said issues surrounding Cashgate have and continue to be dealt with by law enforcement agencies and Malawi’s trusted legal frameworks, adding that Joyce Banda was cleared of any involvement in the scandal.

Banda said: “Nine years down the line, suspects have been arrested and prosecuted, some have been convicted while others have been acquitted following a due court process. The Baker Tilly independent investigative audit, which Her Excellency’s government commissioned, found no single evidence of her involvement in Cashgate.

“Mutharika may wish to be reminded that during his reign, the Anti-Corruption Bureau [ACB] exonerated Dr Joyce Banda from any involvement in Cashgate, despite his government’s ill intentions to exact mob justice on her.”

When contacted, Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said he did not want to comment on “mediocrity”.

“Our president did not mention any name. He did not mention Joyce Banda. She wants to be relevant. She wants to be a giant by picking on a president who is a performer. I don’t think I should comment on that,” he said.

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