Former Minister Uladi Mussa Has Been Pardoned

The former Minister Uladi Mussa has been pardoned by the President Lazarus Chakwera today Monday 10 April, 2023.

We contacted Minister of information Honourable Moses Kunkuyu to confirm the pardon and what this means.

Here is an excerpt of the interview with the Honourable Minister on Monday 10 April 2023

Questionnaire

Q. Why has the President pardoned Uladi Mussa this time?

A. There are requirements for the guidelines that are considered before one qualifies to be granted pardon. One of them is for the prisoners themselves to demonstrate behavioral reformation while in prison. While the president has at all times the powers conferred on him by the constitution, the onus to demonstrate behavioral reformations rests with the prisoners themselves.

Q. Some quarters are saying that although the President pardoned Mussa he was almost finishing his prison sentence, what is your day on this opinion?

A. Prison is a very bad place that even a day in there can test like hell. No one would want to stay there a day longer. The pardoned can understand this better

Q. How many other prisoners have been pardoned or is it Uladi Mussa only?

A. A total of 200

Q. What does the constitution say on the President pardoning prisoners? Does the president have powers to pardon?

A. The president has powers accorded to Him under Section 89(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi to grant pardon to prisoners.

Q. What is your last thought in this interview?

A. Be blessed

Some two years ago, Uladi Mussa was jailed for five years.

The High Court in Lilongwe had sentenced Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice-president for the Central Region, Uladi Mussa to five years imprisonment for abuse of public office and negligence of official duties.

Judge Chifundo Kachale sentenced Mussa to five years imprisonment for the first count and 12 months for the second one. The sentences was running concurrently.

The court had also meted out the same sentences on former Regional Immigration Officer for the Central Region, David Kwanjana, who was answering the same charges.

Mussa was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in March 2017 on allegations that in 2013 while serving as minister of Home Affairs he and other officials from the Immigration Department fraudulently issued citizenships and passports to Burundians and Rwandese, among other foreign nationals.

The court had since ordered that the documents that were unlawfully issued should be revoked.

The court had also disqualified the convicts from holding or being appointed or elected to any office in a public body for the next seven years.

After the judgement, Mussa, who had come to the court composed and without handcuffs, came out seemingly emotional and insisted on speaking to journalists.

Uladi Mussa walked out of prison after being pardoned by President Lazarus Chakwera.