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DPP's Peter Mutharika appears before commissioners on brother's death

24 August 2012 Times

Acting president of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thursday appeared before a commission of inquiry into the death of his brother, Bingu wa Mutharika, at Ufulu Gardens in Lilongwe.

The death of Mutharika in April this year was surrounded by many unanswered questions.

And in June, President Joyce Banda set up a commission of inquiry to investigate all circumstances surrounding the death of Mutharika and events that took place after the death.

Mutharika, who appeared before the commission in Lilongwe Thursday came to the venue in a Toyota Land cruiser VX, registration number BQ 1.

Soon after coming out of the interrogation room, Mutharika told The Daily Times that he would not reveal what he said to the commission as he took an oath of secrecy.

"I'm bound by an oath of secrecy not to reveal what I said. Therefore, I cannot talk about what I said there. I can only say that I went through the normal process of answering the questions," Mutharika said.

He however said the environment under which the two-hour interrogation was conducted was good.

"The environment was very fine. The committee was very fair. It wasn't a hostile environment at all," he said.

Earlier, the family of late Mutharika expressed reservation on the setting up of the commission of inquiry.

Soon after Mutharika appeared before the commission, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine Gotani Hara arrived at the venue.

She was the first person in the cabinet of late president Mutharika to reveal of some meetings that were taking place, when Mutharika's condition was not clear.

Apart from probing circumstances that led to Mutharika's death, the commission was also given the mandate to investigate the role some government officials and cabinet ministers played during transition in the wake of reports of attempted coup during that period.

Members of the Commission are Retired Justice Elton Singini [chairperson of the inquiry], Dr. Charles Dzamalala (pathologist); former Inspector General of Police, Joseph Aironi, Dr. Tionge Loga, Elizabeth Sibale, Father Joseph Mpinganjira; activist Brian Nyasulu; Esther Chioko and lawyer Jabbar Alide