The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has said it will not withdraw corruption case involving the country’s former head of state Dr. Bakili Muluzi.

The graft-bursting body has been pursuing Muluzi’s corruption case for 17 years.

ACB Director General Martha Chizuma confirmed the development saying despite the fact that the case has been facing challenges, the bureau will continue pursuing it.

According to Chizuma, some of the key witnesses are dead and some are too old adding another heavy load on the case, but dropping it seemed not to be an option.

The former president is accused of abusing funds amounting to K1.7 billion during his 1994-2004 presidency which was deposited into his personal account.

In May this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Muluzi’s application in which he challenged Section 32 (2) C of the Corrupt Practices Act.

Muluzi was challenging the law saying by placing the duty of unexplained wealth on the accused person, it violates the accused person’s right to be presumed innocent and right to remain silent among others.

After the dismissal of the application, Chizuma said the bureau will strategize on how to proceed with the case adding that the challenge was the one hold them back.

“This is the ruling which for the past two years had been holding hearing of the case. This means that work is cut out for us. We have to go back and re-strategize on how to proceed with the case,” Chizuma said.

As ACB is still determined to continue prosecution of Muluzi’s corruption case, some stakeholders came in and asked the bureau to consider dropping the case, citing waste of resources and money.

Public Affairs Committee (PAC), questioned the rationale of spending taxpayers’ money on a corruption case that has failed to yield the expected results for many decades and called for dialogue to secure a political solution.

The funds used in Muluzi’s corruption case came to Malawi as aid from Taiwan, Morocco and Libya.