Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Fostino Maele has discontinued criminal proceedings against former Anti-Corruption Bureau Director General and Solicitor General Reyneck Matemba at the High Court.
Court records filed at the Lilongwe Registry show that Maele issued a certificate of discontinuance on 10 March 2026, effectively halting the case before a judgement could be delivered.
Matemba faced a charge of failing to declare an interest as a public officer contrary to the Corrupt Practices Act.
The allegations related to a meeting on 5 June 2021, where the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) granted a “no objection” to the Malawi Police Service to award a contract worth about $7.8 million to Xavier Limited for the supply of 350,000 ration packs.
The State alleged that Matemba, in his role as Solicitor General and ex-officio member of the PPDA board, failed to declare an interest despite knowing that the company’s director, Zuneth Abdul Rashid Sattar, commonly known as Zuneth Sattar, had a direct interest in the contract.
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However, in the certificate of discontinuance, Maele stated that he had reviewed the matter and found it undesirable to proceed with the case.
Following this development, the court, presided over by Justice Violet Chipao, ordered Matemba’s acquittal.
“The accused person, Reyneck Matemba, is hereby acquitted of the charge,” the court order reads.
The court directed the DPP to submit reasons for discontinuing the case to the Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament within 10 days in line with the Constitution.
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Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Accountability and Transparency Willy Kambwandira criticised the “wanton discontinuance” of high-profile corruption cases, saying it undermines confidence in the commitment to fighting graft.
“There is a need to check the powers of the DPP, as it is clear that the office is misusing and abusing prosecutorial powers.
“The repeated and unexplained withdrawals of high-profile cases create a perception of abuse of discretion. There is urgent need for greater transparency, clear justification of decisions and stronger oversight safeguards,” Kambwandira said.
Recently, Maere has discontinued several high-profile cases due reasons not yet made known to the public.
