Samuel Tembenu, lawyer for former President Peter Mutharika has accused the Anti Corruption Bureau of practicing “high level of crookedness”.
He made the accusations in an interview with Metro Online after the High Court in Blantyre reserved to January a ruling in a case in which Mutharika is seeking for an order to unfreeze his
bank accounts.
On 7th August this year, the ACB served Standard Bank with a restriction notice valid for 3 months on a personal account of Mutharika and another, a joint account with his wife Gertrude.
However , the former president has dragged to court the ACB to reserve overturn the restriction upon noting the restriction was still in effect in spite of expiring on November, 17.
In an interview Tembenu accused the bureau of going behind its back to obtain an extension of the restriction.
But Victor Chiwala, Chief legal and Prosecution officer for ACB has played down the concerns by Tembenu saying they can appeal if unhappy with the decision by the bureau to renew the restriction notice.
According to Tembenu, however, the ACB flouted procedure in proceeding with the extension when there was already another case in court in which Mutharika is challenging the freezing of
his bank acocunts.
Responding on the application to unfreeze the bank accounts for Mutharika, Chiwala doing so it shall mean that the case has been closed because there will be no evidence.
Chiwala further said if Mutharika is also allowed to use his accounts, it will be difficult for the state to recover the money if Mutharika is found guilty.
