Yale alumnus Peter Mutharika LAW ’69 is in custody in his native country of Malawi after allegedly mounting a coup following the 2012 death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, Peter Mutharika’s brother.
According to the BBC, Mutharika and at least nine others were arrested for unconstitutionally seeking to prevent Joyce Banda, then Malawi’s vice president, from taking power last year. A police official told the AFP that those arrested would likely be tried for treason for their role in the constitutional crisis, while the information minister denied that the charges were politically motivated.
The Maravi Post has reported that Mutharika turned himself into police for questioning on Monday morning amid protests by members of his Democratic Progressive Party. According to a non-randomized poll conducted by the Post earlier this month, Mutharika is the leading candidate for president in Malawi in the 2014 elections.
As of Tuesday afternoon, University spokesman Tom Conroy had not returned an email request for comment.