Police question APM’s stepson on Cementgate

Police have interrogated former president Peter Mutharika’s stepson Tadikira Mafubza in connection with the importation of 400 000 bags of cement worth K3.2 billion duty-free from Zambia and Zimbabwe between 2018 and 2019.

National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said on Thursday that apart from the probe on Cementgate, police investigated Tadikira on allegations that he was drawing a salary from the Roads Authority (RA) when he was not an employee.

He said the police have for now cleared him on the RA allegation, after it was established that Tadikira is a bona fide employee of the authority.

However, Kadadzera said the law enforcers will be submitting a file to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for an opinion and direction on the Cementgate allegation.

He said: “We are through with our investigations with Tadikira and we will be waiting for the DPP on the way forward as regards prosecution of this matter.”

In an interview, Tadikira said he was indeed questionned by the police on Cementgate, but played down the RA allegations saying: “The police came to our office and collected the [right] information.”

The alleged cement imports were done using taxpayer details of the former president, who as head of State, was entitled to import duty-free goods for personal use.

Meanwhile, DPP Steven Kayuni yesterday said he is yet to get the police file on Tadikira.

Kayuni added that the only files his office has on the cement scandal are those of four suspects—Mutharika’s former chief of staff Peter Mukhito, then top security aide Norman Chisale, former Malawi Revenue Authority deputy commissioner Roza Mbilizi and businessperson Ahmed Chunara.