Malawian Ex-Minister Jailed for Conspiring to Kill Civil Servant

Raphael Kasambara, a Malawian ex-minister, was jailed for 13 yearson Wednesday for conspiring to kill civil servant Paul Mphwiyo who exposed a multi-million-dollar corruption scandal, according to the BBC.

Kasambara, Malawian ex-minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, was found guilty of conspiring to murder Mphwiyo, the country’s former National Budget director.

The former minister was sentenced alongside former Malawian military officer Macdonald Kumwembe and businessperson Pika Manondo who was separately charged with attempting to murder the former civil servant.

Delivering the judgment, High Court Judge Michael Mtambo said there was enough evidence to show that there was indeed a conspiracy against Mphwiyo’s life, according to Nyasa Times.

“Someone can have a good story but would like to add salt and pepper,” Justice Mtambo said.

Mphwiyo’s Shooting

The shooting of the former National Budget director happened in 2013 at the gate of his residential home in Area 43, Lilongwe for his alleged role in exposing the “Cashgate scandal,” which led to the loss of millions of dollars from public coffers.

At the time, Mphwiyo was accosted by unknown assailants who shot him three times in the face, leaving him for dead.

Fortunately, he survived the shooting and was airlifted to South Africa for medical treatment, where he fully recovered and went on to testify against the ex-minister.

The Mega Corruption Scandal

In the period between 2012 and 2014, during President Joyce Banda’s reign, Malawi suffered one of the biggest corruption scandals in its history with the aforementioned Cashgate scandal.

The saga involved scores of government officials who were found with millions of cash (some in foreign currencies) stashed in their car boots and houses.

The money was reportedly syphoned through fraudulent dealings between the officials and businessmen for services that were never delivered.

Delayed Justice

In his quest for justice, Mphwiyo has had a long and wearisome journey.

The case, which was opened in 2013, has been marred by endless hurdles, including applications for recusals by the defense and the accused being thrown back in prison for contempt of court.

Initially, the prosecution accused the ex-minister and his co-accused of attempted murder, but the judge overruled the charge, saying the prosecution failed to produce enough evidence to prove their case.

Justice Mtambo said that call logs weren’t enough to convict someone without supporting evidence.