Uladi, 4 others found with case to answer
The High Court has found Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president (Centre) Uladi Mussa and four others with a case to answer in the alleged abuse of office, neglect of official duties and giving false information.
The court has since set November 25 to 27 as dates when it will start hearing the case.
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) senior public relations officer Egrita Ndala said in a statement issued yesterday that the four will answer all the charges.
The ACB said the High Court made its ruling on October 21 in Lilongwe.
The ruling comes after the United States of America (USA) Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on July 3 this year barred Mussa and his family from travelling to the USA due to what termed “involvement in significant corruption”.
Reads the statement from the US Government: “The Secretary of State is designating Mr. Uladi Basikolo Mussa, the current Malawian special adviser [to the President] on parliamentary affairs and former Malawian minister of Home Affairs, due to his involvement in significant corruption.”
Mussa became the first Malawian official to be designated publicly under Section 7031(c) by the US Government, according to the US Embassy.
Subsequently, Mussa, who maintained he was innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, resigned as President Peter Mutharika’s special adviser on August 8 2019 through a letter to the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).
He made the decision days before his appearance in court for a case in which the State is accusing him of misconduct on the issuance of Malawi citizenship to 50 foreigners when he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security in the Joyce Banda administration between April 2012 and May 2014.
In the statement, Ndala said the graft-busting body received a complaint on September 25 2015 alleging that on May 14 2014, the Immigration Department granted Malawi citizenship to Rwandan nationals using a file belonging to another foreign national.
She said ACB investigated the issue and established that citizenships were granted to ineligible people.
The findings led to the arrest of Peter Katasha (Malawian national) on February 28 2017 for allegedly presenting false information that he was related to some foreign nationals who were applying for Malawi citizenship. He was charged with uttering a false document contrary to Section 121 and Section 360 of the Penal Code.
Ndala said: “On 6th March 2017, ACB arrested Uladi Mussa, former minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security and Mr. David H. Kwanjana [former senior assistant chief Immigrations officer now regional Immigration officer Centre and charged them with one count of neglect of official duties contrary to Section 121 of the Penal Code and misuse of public office contrary to Section 25B (1) of the Corrupt Practices Act.”
ACB also arrested Pascal Rwasa, a Burundian national, for presenting false information that he was related to another foreign national who was applying for Malawi citizenship and also Esili Kubwimana, a Rwandan, for giving false information to Immigration officers.
