Malawi information minister claims Bingu was killed

Malawi’s Information Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa today claimed former president late Bingu wa Mutharika was assassinated and that evidence of the plot to kill the former leader is contained in a document titled “JB Project”.

Nankhumwa who claimed does not know what letters ‘JB’ stand for has asked the DPP-led government to bring to book the conspirators including the master mind behind the death of Bingu.
Nankhumwa was speaking at Ndata Farm where hundreds of DPP sympathizers led by Malawi President Peter Mutharika, senior party officials as well as government officials gathered for Bingu’s memorial service.
Showing the party sympathizers what he called a newspaper publication, the minister said the paper called Eye Witness revealed on October 28, 2011 a plot to kill Bingu in an article titled “Bingu To Die Before 2014”.
Nankhumwa claimed the paper was quoting the ‘JB Project document’ in the article.
“Many people in the party find it hard to believe that Bingu’s death was caused by natural causes,” said Nankhumwa.
“We still think someone was behind that death because the former first lady told us that he had woken up just alright that morning, he even had a gym session before he went to his office attending to attend to visitors when it happened,” he added holding the newspaper article.
“The author of that project document will give the nation answers regarding to what exactly killed Bingu, as his death was due to unnatural causes,” he said.
Nankhumwa also warned the president to be extra careful with some people who visit him at State House “as some of them do not go to see him in good faith.”
Nankhumwa urged Mutharika that if he needs company, the DPP cadets and the party women should be his first priority.
Asked in an interview on the sidelines of the event why he is bringing up the newspaper article issue today when Bingu died three years ago, Nankhumwa said he believes if he had brought the issue in 2012 or 2013 when PP was governing, nothing could have happened.
“My claims are not disputing results of the commission of inquiry that found that the late president died of cardiac arrest but what I said is from a cultural point of view,” he told The Nation.

But in his remarks at the function, Mutharika did not comment on Nankhumwa’s claims.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the nation for joining him and the Mutharika family as they commemorated their brother, father, son and hero, among other things.
“The family was not able to hold this memorial ceremony for the past three years because the previous government grabbed Ndata Farm from us. We were denied access to this place,” said Mutharika fondly known as APM.
APM said his brother taught him a lot of things such as never to do anything halfway, how to live a fruitful life as well as never to judge others.
“As Bingu rests, let us do our part so that when our time comes, we should leave a better country than we found it.”
Speaking at the memorial service, Archbishop Thomas Msusa of the
Catholic Church said the late Mutharika was a visionary leader.
Msusa led a Memorial Mass of the late Bingu and after the ceremony, the President led members of the Mutharika family and other dignitaries in laying wreaths at Mpumulo Wa Bata Mausoleum.
Notable faces included former MCP president John Tembo, former president Bakili Muluzi, PP eastern region president Uladi Mussa, PP vice president Brown Mpinganjira.