Blantyre, Malawi - The long-awaited corruption case of Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi finally commenced at the High Court in the commercial capital, Blantyre, on Tuesday. This was after presiding judge, Justice MacLean Kamwambe, on Monday dismissed the defence team's attempts to delay the case further on the grounds of the 66-year-old's ailing health. Muluzi arrived at the court with a horde of family members, his political allies and supporters of the former ruling United Democratic Front (UDF).

Although he maintained his trade mark jocular self, he looked in pain as he slowly walked in the packed court room with the aide of a walking stick, greeting his sympathisers in the process.

Justice Kamwambe, perhaps noticing the condition of the former president, asked both sides to keep time.

'Delays will put a strain on the accused person's condition,' he said.

Summing up the case, Alexious Nampota, director of the official corruption-busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), told the court a total of 1.7bn Malawi Kwacha (about US$ 12 million) from the Kingdom of Morocco, Republic of China on Taiwan and Libya and other multi-lateral agencies meant for development projects were diverted to Muluzi's personal account.

'Our witnesses will prove that these sums were intended to be donor aid,' he said.

Muluzi, who sat beside his co-accused, Lines Whisky, seemed uncomfortable in his seat, as he shifted from side to side, sometimes leaning on his walking stick.

At intervals of 30 minutes, he would ask for a 10-minute adjournment 'to stretch' as per doctors' orders, according to his lawyer, Kalekeni Kaphale.

At the end of day one of hearing, Kamwambe adjourned the case to Wednesday but Muluzi, through his lawyers, informed the judge he had a morning appointment with his doctor on Wednesday and the judge agreed to adjourn the hearing to 2pm same day.

Muluzi, who ruled Malawi between 1994 and 2004, had been in and out of London and Cape Town clinics since his retirement. He has had several operations on his spinal column to fix slipped discs.

He was due for a medical review last December but government refused to fund his trip to a clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, arguing that he has to be reviewed by local physicians first.

Despite two High Court rulings against it, government has insisted that Muluzi has to be reviewed by local physicians, sparking suggestions that government thinks Muluzi could be exaggerating his condition to escape trial.

Muluzi anointed current President Bingu wa Mutharika to succeed him at the expiry of his two official five-year terms in 2004 after failing to change the constitution to allow him a third term.

However, the new president fell out with his hitherto mentor nine months into his presidency, accusing his former political buddies of frowning on his tough anti-corruption drive.

The 77-year-old economist-turned-politician ditched the UDF and founded his own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) prematurely, consigning the former ruling party members to opposition benches despite winning the 2004 elections.

According to former Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Ishmael Wadi, over US$ 100 million went missing from government coffers during the 10 years Muluzi was in power.

At one point, another DPP in the Muluzi administration, Fahad Assani, is also on record to have said 30 per cent of the national budget was lost through fraud and corruption.

Apart from Muluzi, a number of top government officials in his administration, including his last Finance Minister, Friday Jumbe and top aide Humphrey Mvula, are currently answering fraud and corruption charges.

Pana 09/03/2011