(MISA/IFEX) – The vice president of Malawi’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), Aleke Banda, has said that he is suing the Lilongwe-based independent weekly “The Chronicle” over a story that fingered him as having corruptly spent 19 million Malawi Kwacha (about US$264,000). In a front page story entitled “Muluzi Urged To Dissolve Cabinet”, and sub-titled […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The vice president of Malawi’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), Aleke Banda, has said that he is suing the Lilongwe-based independent weekly “The Chronicle” over a story that fingered him as having corruptly spent 19 million Malawi Kwacha (about US$264,000).
In a front page story entitled “Muluzi Urged To Dissolve Cabinet”, and sub-titled “as his inaction is blamed on personal involvement in corruption”, Parliamentarian for the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) Sam Kandodo Banda was quoted as urging President Bakili Muluzi to dissolve his cabinet following the on-going investigations into fraud and corruption in his government.
Kandodo Banda alleged that there was more to the corruption scam, suggesting that Aleke Banda, who stood against him and lost in the parliamentary race during the June 1999 elections, blew 19 million Kwacha of public funds on the campaign.
In a letter dated 4 October 2000, Aleke Banda, who is also minister of health and population – through his lawyer Shabir Latif of Sacraine, Gow and Company – gave “The Chronicle” two days to apologise to him and retract the story in their next edition. “These allegations have been made falsely, maliciously and are defamatory. These allegations are a complete fabrication and a grave reflection on the reputation of our client as a person and as a cabinet minister,” Aleke Banda’s lawyer said.
But the paper’s managing editor Robert Jamieson told MISA on Friday 6 October that the paper is standing by its story. “I think the problem is the UDF lawyers are ambulance chasing; they have created problems for the party. They need to re-read the story and understand what the story says,” he said. Jamieson said that at no time did the story implicate the health minister in the on-going US$2 million scam which, according to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, implicates at least six ministers.
However, Aleke Banda, in a telephone interview with MISA on Friday 6 October, said the fact that he was not directly connected with the scam does not mean he was less hurt. “I am not interested in that story; it’s very stupid for them to quote Kandodo’s blatant lie and say we are silencing them when we sue. I am actually very angry with ‘The Chronicle’,” he said.
With regards to Jamieson’s allegations that the UDF was encouraging him to sue because the president does not want the embarrassment of having to testify in person in court if his own suit against the paper goes ahead, Aleke Banda said he was not even aware what the president is doing. “It’s very stupid of them to think I am being used. They and Kandodo have to justify their stupid allegations,” he said.
Aleke Banda’s suit comes fast on the heels of another lawsuit for “The Chronicle” from President Bakili Muluzi. Muluzi sued “The Chronicle” over a story in which the paper said the president fuelled the whole corruption scam in the first place. Muluzi, who denies the charge, instructed his lawyers – Sacraine, Gow and Company – to claim substantial damages from the newspaper over the story if it did not retract it and apologise for it since, according to his lawyer Latif, the story injured both his personal integrity and that of the office of the president.
“The Chronicle” refused to retract the story or apologise for it and vowed to expose more information on the corruption scam.
