Malawi'sAnti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says former President Bakili Muluzi's passport canbe returned after he signs a $13 million bond. The ACB said the bond wouldensure that Muluzi returns to face graft charges after his scheduled medicaltrip to the United Kingdom.
The anti-corruption body seized Muluzi's passportclaiming it had information that the former president would not return to facecorruption charges.
Muluzi is facing corruption charges after being accused ofdiverting donor funds into his personal account, charges he denies.
ACBchairman Alex Nampota told VOA that Muluzi's propertieswould not be confiscated if he returns after his medical trip.
"Ifhe (Muluzi) comes back, then there is no problem. But in the event he doesn'tcome back, all the properties which are a subject of a seizure warrant which weobtained get vested in the government and get sold to make good the $13 milliondollars," said Nampota.
He described as suspiciousthe former president's challenge of the bond.
"Now, he is resisting in thecourt to say he doesn't want to execute the bond. And we are wondering, if he is coming back,why the resistance? So, this also gives us the impression that probably there issomething amiss about this trip that is making it difficult for him to executea bond," he said.
Nampota said the ACB is notto blame for the delay in Muluzi's scheduled medical trip.
"We want to give him hispassport as soon as possible. All he does is [sign] a bond. We wondered where the urgency of the(Muluzi's medical) trip had gone suddenly," Nampota said.
But supporters of the former presidentsaid they are unhappy by what they describe as the ill-treatment meted out toMuluzi.
"Weare in an extreme sense very saddened and we feel sorry about it," saidHumphrey Mvula, director of research of Muluzi's opposition United DemocraticParty (UDF).
Hesharply denied Muluzi's refusal to execute the bond was because he hadsomething to hide.
"Thearea of subsequent legal action of requiring a bond and withdrawing a passportwere obtained [by a judge, without all parties present]. I'm sure if good intentions were demonstratedthrough the defense and the prosecution sitting down and talking about it,probably the lawyers or anybody else would have looked at it differently," hesaid.
Mvulasaid the former president will return to face the graft charges against him.
"Hehas never wanted to run away and he will not run away. He is not a smallperson," Mvula said.
Hequestioned the timing of the ACB's claim of a tip-off that led to Muluzi'spassport seizure.
"Asa party, we have said that look, if indeed there was an anonymous caller, itshould have been treated with a lot of contempt because that anonymous callershould have been so ignorant of what happens when a former president istraveling," he said.
Bakili Muluzi stepped down in 2004 after serving twoconsecutive terms as Malawi's president, but not until he tried unsuccessfully tochange the constitution to allow him to run again.