Deprived of direct access to national coffers, Mutharika and his political henchmen went creative about how to replenish their personal coffers through their customary fraudulent style.
The creativity was to organize a ‘party’ fundraising event which would blindfold members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its well-wishers to give out money in the name of funding the party’s convention.
Meanwhile, reports are that Mutharika has started dodging the Convention and NGC meeting dates have been relayed to a waiting room.
Events surrounding the fundraiser remain as suspicious as suggestive of the inference that the purpose was to raise money for personal use among the organizers and their king.
To begin with, the organizers excluded both the party’s Treasure General and his Deputy from taking charge and custody of the funds. The party’s Secretary General is also in the dark as regards where and how the raised funds will be used.
How can a political party fundraise without involving the Treasury and the Secretary General? One wonders.
This certifies fears many had that, the event had two objectives; defrauding unsuspecting followers and probably announce Mutharika’s intention to contest.
The first objective succeeded while the later flopped as Mutharika observed a hostile environment that, he had to cut his speech short and withhold his announcement.
Meanwhile, in a futile bid to bribe their way up and buy public approval, some aspirants including Dalitso Kabambe (who was restless throughout the event) and others gambled K5 million each while Bright Msaka and Nankhumwa remained quiet.
As if that was not enough, the organizers announced a new scheme to defraud DPP supporters of their money through an online money transfer scam.
According to the plan, some scrupulous individuals within the party have registered an Airtel Money account and are asking party members to start depositing money into the account and say the money will be received at the “Party Headquarters.”
Interestingly, the party Treasurer General and his Deputy are further not involved in the scheme as well.
Contrary to people’s expectations, the party President deliberately failed to make commitments on possible dates for the convention and NGC meetings.
The incident is a clear manifestation that the DPP has a bunch of unrepentant thieves who are bent to milk unsuspecting population using their political positioning as tool.