President Peter Mutharika’s advisor on youth affairs, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, has been swindled MK1.4 million by a suspected fraudster who used President’s name to persuade Kaunda to release the cash.
Kaunda, who is senior member of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a former Cabinet minister and member of Parliament (MP) for Nkhata Bay Centre confirmed he has been a victim of the growing swindlers racket who uses mobile phones to steal money from unsuspecting Malawians.
He said a fraudster phoned home last week posing as Felix Mangani controller of lands at Ministry of Lands and tricked him into depositing money into the account of people who claimed to have been allocating land to him on instructions from the President.
Taking advantage of the political patronage in the country, the fraudster exploited on Kaunda who could not follow the laid-down procedure in the transactions thereby exposing how land plots are allocated on political patronage.
“I was told that somebody from the physical planning department would call me later for details and agree on how to collect the said money since it was a directive (from the President). Then I deposited into his bank account MK580 000 on Wednesday, MK474 000 on Thursday and MK371 000 on Friday,” said Kaunda.
Kaunda said he deposited the money into an NBS Bank account number 14411631 which belongs to Geoffrey Kaunga.
The Presidential Aide has since reported to Police.
Kaunda said he was indeed tricked because the suspect appeared to have all the information regarding his whereabouts and the operations at the ministry of lands.
But said he only realised that he had been fleeced when he phoned Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman Mgeme Kalilani has said Vuwa’s mishap is “unfortunate, very sad an unbelievable.”
He said Vuwa as former Cabinet minister should have known better that government business is never done on social media or over the telephone with unknown officials.
The Presidential spokesman stressed that allocation of plots to person is not the duty of the President or his office.
