LILONGWE (Reuters) - Former Malawi president Joyce Banda returned home on Saturday to a rousing welcome by supporters and vowed to prove her innocence after more than three years in self-imposed exile amid graft allegations.

The so-called "Cashgate" scandal in which senior government officials were accused of siphoning millions of dollars from state coffers was uncovered in 2013 while she was president. Donor countries cut off aid, hampered development in Malawi, one of the world's poorest and most aid-dependent countries.

Banda, Malawi's first female president, lost elections to Peter Mutharika a year later and immediately faced allegations of abuse of office and money laundering, which she denied before leaving the country.

“As far as I am concerned I never did anything wrong and there has never been a warrant of arrest and I am back to prove that,” Banda told media at the airport.

Last July, police issued an arrest warrant against Banda, saying her alleged offences were part of Cashgate. But early this year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had no solid evidence against her, partly clearing her of wrongdoing.

Police have not publicly said whether charges had been dropped. A police spokesman said on Monday the police would make no comment on the matter until Banda was back in the country.

A former justice minister and attorney general were convicted over Cashgate, along with a number of former high-ranking government officials and business people.

Banda was non-committal on whether she would actively engage in politics as the southern African country prepares for next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

“I have been away for four years now so I need to see what’s going on before I can commit to politics,” Banda said when asked whether she would be running in the May elections.

(Reporting by Mabvuto Banda; Editing by Mark Heinrich)</s>Malawi's former president Joyce Banda will arrive home this week after four years of self-imposed exile that saw an arrest warrant issued against her for alleged corruption, her party said on Monday.

Nowa Chimpeni, a spokesperson for Banda's People's Party (PP) told local media she was returning to rebuild the party ahead of May 2019 elections.

"I can confirm to our followers and Malawians at large that the former president of this country Dr Joyce Banda will be arriving in this country on Saturday," Chimpeni said. He added that Banda intended to "reorganise her party" after many members abandoned it for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during her four-year absence, in which she lived in the United States, South Africa and Britain.

Cashgate is the biggest financial scandal in Malawi's history and helped push Banda out of power in 2014 when she lost out to President Peter Mutharika.</s>Former President of Malawi Joyce Banda speaks during a conference on women in development programme in Lagos Thomson Reuters LILONGWE (Reuters) - Former Malawi President Joyce Banda will return home on Saturday after spending more than three years in self-imposed exile because of graft allegations, a spokesman for her political party said on Monday.

Cashgate, a corruption scandal in which senior government officials siphoned millions of dollars from state coffers, was uncovered in 2013, while she was president. Donor countries cut off aid, hampered development in Malawi, one of the world's poorest and most aid-dependent countries.

Banda, Malawi's first female president, lost elections to Peter Mutharika a year later. Facing allegations of abuse of office and money laundering, which she denied, she left the country, and has not been back since.

"I can confirm that as a party we have received communication from the office of the former president that she arrives back in Malawi on Saturday to stay," said a People's Party deputy spokesman, Ackson Kaliyile.

Last July, police issued an arrest warrant against Banda, saying her alleged offences were part of Cashgate. But early this year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had no solid evidence against her, partly clearing her of wrongdoing.

Police have not publicly said whether charges had been dropped. A police spokesman said on Monday the police would make no comment on the matter until Banda was back in the country.

A former justice minister and attorney general were convicted over Cashgate, along with a number of former high-ranking government officials and business people.

Banda has been living in the United States, serving as a distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Center for Global Development in Washington DC.</s>MANGOCHI - Malawi's former president Joyce Banda will arrive home this week after four years of self-imposed exile that saw an arrest warrant issued against her for alleged corruption, her party said on Monday.

Nowa Chimpeni, a spokesman for Banda's People's Party (PP) told local media she was returning to rebuild the party ahead of May 2019 elections.

"I can confirm to our followers and Malawians at large that the former president of this country Dr Joyce Banda will be arriving in this country on Saturday," Chimpeni said.

He added that Banda intended to "reorganise her party" after many members abandoned it for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during her four-year absence, in which she lived in the United States, South Africa and Britain.

Last year police issued an arrest warrant for Banda in connection with the country's "Cashgate" corruption scandal, which involved large-scale looting of government coffers.

Police spokesperson James Kadadzera said the warrant remained valid but he declined to say if she would be detained upon arrival.

Cashgate is the biggest financial scandal in Malawi's history and helped push Banda out of power in 2014 when she lost out to President Peter Mutharika.</s>Malawi’s former president, Joyce Banda is poised to end her self-imposed exile and return to the country to rejuvenate her political life, her spokesman has said. Mrs. Banda, Malawi’s first female president had left the country four years ago after losing the presidency to current President Peter Mutharika.

Her spokesman Nowa Chimpeni has been widely quoted in news reports on Tuesday as saying Banda will return to her country later this week.

While in absentia, a Malawi court last year found her not guilty of involvement in the so-called ‘Cashgate’ scandal involving millions of dollars of state funds which went missing under her short-lived administration.

The police had issued an international arrest warrant for her although she had denied any involvement.

Chimpeni said Mrs. Banda is returning to revitalize the People’s Party ahead of the 2019 presidential elections and seemed unfazed by possibilities that she might face arrest upon her return to the country.

The PP had become dormant after several of its founding members abandoned it for other more vibrant parties in Malawi.

Mrs. Banda has been living in the United Kingdom, US and South Africa after fleeing the country in 2014.</s>Malawi police which issued an arrest warrant for former president Joyce Banda in connection with the country’s “Cashgate” corruption scandal, which involved large-scale looting of government coffers, say it remains valid and can be executed once Banda return home on Saturday.

Last July, police issued an arrest warrant against Banda, saying her alleged offences were part of Cashgate. But early this year, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had no solid evidence against her, partly clearing her of wrongdoing.

A police spokesman James Kadadzera said they would make no comment on the matter until Banda was back in the country.

However, in an application to the High Court, Banda through one of her lawyers, Bright Theu, argued that the decisions of the magistrate court that issued the warrant and the Inspector General (IG) of Police are disproportionate and unreasonable.

Theu argued that the execution of the warrant would constitute an unjustifiable infringmement the former president’s fundamental right to liberty and security of her person guaranteed under Section 18 of the Constitution.

Banda mmade strenuous effort to obtain a copy of the warrant of arrest, but the authorities have either ignored or refused or otherwise failed to furnish them with a copy of the same.

Cashgate, a corruption scandal in which senior government officials siphoned millions of dollars from state coffers, was uncovered in 2013, while Banda was president.

But Banda made an observation that according to investigations, cashgate occurred between April and August 2013 and that prior to that, “we have evidence that there was another cashgate of MK577 billion theft of public money between 2009 and 2012 that donors and Malawians are pressing for speedy investigation.”

Banda has always insisted of her innocence in Cashgate and claimed that there are regime “attempts” to tarnish her name and legacy.

Meanwhile, the former president’s spokesman Andekuche Chanthunya and Nowa Chimpeni, a spokesman for Banda’s People’s Party (PP) have confirmed that she will arrive on Saturday and is scheduled to hold mass rally on Sunday in Blantyre.

According to PP, Banda was returning to rebuild the party ahead of May 2019 elections.

“I can confirm to our followers and Malawians at large that the former president of this country Dr Joyce Banda will be arriving in this country on Saturday,” Chimpeni said.

He added that Banda intended to “reorganise her party” after many members abandoned it for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during her four-year absence, in which she lived in the United States, South Africa and Britain.

Chanthunya said Banda is expected to hint on wthether she will contest for the presidency next year, when she addressed the rally.

“But the general principal is that the PP convention will decide on who is going to be its presidential candidate,” said Chanthunya.

Last week Banda was in South African and attended the funeral of anti-apartheid icon Winnie Mandela who she described as her political mentor.</s>JOHANNESBURG - Malawi's former president Joyce Banda will arrive home this week after four years of self-imposed exile that saw an arrest warrant issued against her for alleged corruption.

Her party says she's returning to rebuild the organisation ahead of next year's elections.

Reuters reported on Monday that Banda would be home on Saturday.

Last year police issued an arrest warrant for Banda in connection with the country's "cashgate" corruption scandal, which involved large-scale looting of government coffers.

Police say the warrant remains but it’s not yet clear if the former president will be taken into custody once she arrives.

Cashgate, a corruption scandal in which senior government officials syphoned millions of dollars from state coffers, was uncovered in 2013, while she was president.

Donor countries cut off aid, hampered development in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest and most aid-dependent countries.

Banda, Malawi’s first female president, lost elections to Peter Mutharika a year later. Facing allegations of abuse of office and money laundering, which she denied, she left the country and has not been back since.

A former justice minister and attorney general were convicted over Cashgate, along with a number of former high-ranking government officials and business people.

Banda has been living in the United States, serving as a distinguished fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Center for Global Development in Washington DC.</s>East West home is best they say and Malawi’s former President Joyce Banda is going to be a new evidence to this.

Banda who left Malawi just after losing the 2014 elections is coming home this weekend, Malawi24 has learnt.

According to a statement issued by her spokesperson Andekucha Chanthunya, Banda will arrive in Malawi on Saturday, 28 April 2018 through Chileka International airport at noon.

“Banda will be returning to Malawi on Saturday, April 28, 2018 after her successful official engagements in the United States of America (USA), South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, among others.”

The cashgate scandal could be one of the main reasons the Banda regime lost popularity and with it the presidency in the elections.

An audit report prepared by Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC) revealed that MK553.3 billion remains unaccounted for in the period that Banda was in power, between 2012 and 2014. This amounts to 95 percent of the MK0.5 trillion (MK577.2 billion), which is the total sum of all the stolen public funds from 2009 to 2014.

She has a warrant of arrest on her head over her alleged involvement in the massive looting of public resources dubbed cashgate, during her tenure of office. She left the country having surrendered her presidency to Democratic Progressive Party’s Peter Mutharika in 2014.

Since her departure, she has been a wanted person as some people suspect her of having had a hand in the corruption scandal.</s>Former president Joyce Banda whose her two year rule was characterised by plundering of state resources dubbed cashgate, will return on Saturday.

She left the country soon after losing the 2014 presidential elections to President Professor Peter Mutharika.

A statement from Banda’s spokesperson Andekuche Chanthunya released on Monday says Banda will arrive around noon through Chileka International Airport.

The statement says Banda visited several countries that included United States of America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Banda was mentioned to have had a hand in the on going cashgate cases. Her Peoples Party is experiencing exodus of members including legislators.</s>Former president Joyce Banda has announced her coming home this coming Saturday, April 28 2018 from abroad where she has been operating from since June 29 2014 when she left for United States.

Both Banda’s spokesperson and People’s Party spokesperson Noah Chimpeni have confirmed of the development to Nyasa Times.

According to Chimpeni, Banda will arrive in the country through Chileka International Airport in Blantyre.

“JB is finally coming,” he said.

He said preparations are currently in progress for party followers to welcome their leader who he says is coming home to reorganise her party in readiness for 2019 polls.
Former Malawian President Joyce Banda announces she is to return from three years of exile amid a corruption scandal.