CDEDI QUESTIONS ACB’S SILENCE ON KAPONDAMGAGA

By Racheal Julaye

Center for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives- CDEDI is demanding an explanation from the Anti-Corruption Bureau-ACB’s widely perceived silence on State House Chief of Staff, Prince Kapondamgaga, implicated in corruption scandals related to businessman and corruption suspect, Zuneth Sattar.

The bureau’s investigation report implicated 84 people including Vice President, Dr. Saulos Chilima, former Inspector General of Police, George Kainja and Kapondamgaga among others.

After the report, he described as substandard, President Lazarus Chakwera still went ahead to fire Kainja, remove delegation duties from his vice and suspend Kapondamgaga.

Later, the ACB arrested the fired police chief and Chilima, whose cases are now before the courts.

But the public, including CDEDI wonders why the bureau seems developing cold feet on Kapondamgaga. CDEDI Executive Director, Sylvester Namiwa has since penned the bureau’s chief, Martha Chizuma to provide an explanation on the matter.

He further seeks clarification on purported leaked warrant of arrests for senior government officials including former Director of Public Prosecutions-DPP, Steven Kayuni. Of course, the bureau denied a warrant of arrest for Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba which also went viral during the same period.

“Last but not least, your prompt response to the pertinent issues raised in this letter will put to rest fears millions of Malawians have that we have sacred cows in as far as the fight against corruption is concerned,” reads part of the CDEDI letter dated March 6, 2022.

Neither Chizuma nor the bureau’s spokesperson, Egrita Ndala has commented on the CDEDI’s demand letter.

Among others, the ACB found that the Malawi Police Service and the Malawi Defence Force awarded 16 contracts worth over 150 million U.S. dollars to five companies belonging to Sattar between 2017 and 2021. But in some contracts, the government was reportedly defrauded by “unfairly high and inflated” prices of some equipment.

This also comes as senior government officials are facing serious allowance scandals that are having a dent on the Chakwera administration apparently deemed soft and compromised in launching a serious crackdown on corruption. (The Radar