Malawi police investigating coup plot visit home of former president, turned away by guards

The investigation into an alleged coup plot in Malawi has reached the home of the former president, police said.

An aide to former President Bakili Muluzi said his guards did not allow the police in late Wednesday because Muluzi was out of the country. Muluzi is in Britain, planning to return next week.

Police spokesman Willy Mwaluka called the visit a "normal operation" as part of investigations into the alleged coup plot. He would not elaborate.

Officials have not directly implicated Muluzi. But in raids earlier this week, former security and political leaders who served under him were arrested, and the government said they wanted to overthrow the government.

The arrests were the latest twist in a long-running power struggle in the southern African nation between President Bingu wa Mutharika and his predecessor, Muluzi.

The two men used to be close allies and belonged to the same party. Mutharika dumped the party nine months after he was elected president in 2004, accusing his former colleagues of trying to block anti-corruption and economic modernization drives. During his tenure he has won praise from Western donors for his economic policies and helped revitalize all-important rural farms.

Muluzi, the opposition's candidate for a presidential election scheduled for next May, has vowed to remove Mutharika from power "for being ungrateful."

Over the weekend, the president accused Muluzi of plotting to topple his government by removing lawmakers who support him. The opposition-dominated parliament is refusing to debate any government bills unless the speaker expels more than 70 lawmakers who defected to join Mutharika's new party.

Humphrey Mvula, a top Muluzi aide, told The Associated Press that the police officers at the former president's home Wednesday said they wanted to remove guns. He said all the weapons at the home were issued by the police "to protect Dr. Muluzi as a former head of state."

Hophmally Makande, another Muluzi aide, said the police and Muluzi's guards were in a tense standoff, and scores of Muluzi supporters gathered, booing the police. Makande said the police left after he called the police inspector general, but took some of Muluzi's guards with them.

Muluzi, speaking on his private Joy Radio Wednesday, said he was planning to come back to Malawi on May 25, "treason or no treason."