Former president Joyce Banda has responded to government’s announcement that it has sent to the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage that shows her meetings with Cashgate suspect Oswald Lutepo.
“Government is trying to destruct people from the economic challenges and strikes taking place in the country. This will not work because people are aware of these tricks,” said Chanthunya.
He pointed out that instead of destroying the former president, the footage will only vindicate the fact that she never got money from Lutepo.
Chanthunya accused government of making shortcuts in its activities involving Cashgate issues in order to gain political mileage.
“In the first place, the ACB was supposed to ask for the footage as part of its investigations. I wonder if that happened because government is desperate to implicate the former president,” he said.
In the statement from the Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture, government says in addition to CCTV footage showing meetings between the former president and Lutepo, copies of gate entry registers and appointment bookings for Lutepo to see the former president have also been sent.
But Chanthunya said it was not strange that Lutepo used to meeting the former president because he was an executive member of the then governing People’s Party (PP).
The government statement also says that Banda had one meeting with Lutepo at Mzuzu State Lodge, 10 at Kamuzu Palace, 11 at Sanjika Palace and one at Chikoko Bay.
“In some of the meetings, CCTV footages show one on one meetings between Lutepo and the former president while other meetings include some senior members of the former ruling party and some former cabinet ministers.
However, ACB deputy director Reyneck Matemba said on Thursday the bureau is not aware of the purported CCTV footage.
“I have asked the director, those carrying out investigations and many others. They have all denied knowledge of the footage,” said Matemba.
