Vice President Khumbo Kachali was today summoned by the Anti Corruption Bureau for allegedly being accused that he had attempted to bribe two senior police officers Nelson Bophani and Binuli in a bid to stop them from investigating his involvement in the Cashgate scandal.
According to information made available to this blogger, it is further revealed that the issue was brought to ACB’s attention by the Minister of Lands Henry Phoya.
The interrogation by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials lasted for about three and a half hours.
At around 10.15am Kachali was entering the Anti Corruption Bureau headquarters premises, accompanied by lawyer Ralph Kasambara.
In an interview with the media just after his interrogation he said as a law abiding citizen he decided to honour the invitation by the anti corruption body.
With confidence Kachali told the media that he was satisfied with the outcome of his visit.
When he was asked if his appearance at around ACB is a result of his decision to endorse Professor Peter Mutharika as his choice in the 20th May elections, the number two citizen said it is up to Malawians to judge.
Later ACB spokesperson Egritta Mdala said the vice president was invited to help with information in the ongoing cashgate trials.
“The meeting between the vice president and ACB officials is not in any way an arrest” said Mdala. She said that her organization felt the vice president had some information that could be of great help in their investigations.
Last month this blogger reported about a leaked Police report that implicated Malawi’s Vice President Khumbo Kachali to have been behind the cashgate buses that were impounded by the Malawi authorities.
According to the report signed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Nelson Bophani that has been to the Ant-Corruption Bureau (ACB), investigators established the 6 Marcopolo buses currently at the national Police headquarters in Lilongwe, belong to the Vice President.
However, when contacted for comment, Khumbo Kachali denied any involvement.
His spokesperson said, “The Vice President vehemently denied any involvement in the said buses.” The Spokesperson said the media has all along been telling the nation that the buses are connected to Leonard Kalonga, a Ministry of Tourism official.
He then suggested that people should ask him as to who owns the buses.
The Vice President’s spokesperson wondered why people would want to implicate the Vice President now.
But reports suggest that now government would like to implicate the Vice President in the cashgate buses contrary to it’s earlier application in the High Court where the DPP Bruno Kalemba asked the court to allow the state to dispose-off the buses saying their value is depreciating.
In its ruling, the court threw out the application saying the buses remain part of the evidence in the cases taking place in the courts.
Although the buses are currently in the hands of the Police, no one has claimed their ownership. However, the buses were procured by the Chief Tourism Officer in the Ministry of Tourism Leonard Kalonga.
The 65-sitter Scania Marcopolo Torino buses were supplied by Automotive Products Limited. The buses are said to be part of the Cashgate scandal where MK 520million Kwacha (US$1.277,643) from government coffers was used to procure them.
In recent months, there has been a clear fall out between President Joyce Banda and her vice, Khumbo Kachali dating to about two months ago when the Malawian leader, decided to drop Kachali as her presidential running mate for next week’s Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government polls.
rebeccachimjeka 
Written
on 16/05/2014