A magistrate court in Malawi on Tuesday acquitted former cabinet minister Brown Mpinganjira on all four charges of corruption relating to a US $2 million contract scheme, AFP reported. “I hold that the state failed to establish the prima facie case of corruption. I therefore acquit the accused,” magistrate Sylvester Kalembera told a packed courtroom.
After the acquittal, the courtroom burst into chants in support of the former education minister who was sacked last year by President Bakili Muluzi over the allegations. “This was a witch-hunt to destroy my character. They will not destroy my spirit,” Mpinganjira told reporters after the verdict was released. Mpinganjira, a leading light in the ruling party, was seen as a successor to Muluzi.
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