By Mercy Matonga & Cathy Maulidi:
State Vice President Saulos Chilima is officially discharged from his alleged corruption case, ending days of speculation on the issue.
The move to discontinue the prosecution of Chilima in relation to the alleged bribery case involving United Kingdom (UK)-based businessman Zuneth Sattar was reported over the weekend by our sister paper The Sunday Times.
Chilima was arrested in November 2022 by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which accused him of allegedly soliciting a bribe from Sattar to facilitate the awarding of contracts from the Malawi Government.
Yesterday, Judge Redson Kapindu confirmed, in an order, that the State had requested the court to discharge the case.
- Advertisement -
“The accused person herein, Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, is immediately discharged in respect of the charges against him as specified in the aforementioned Certificate of Discontinuance,” the judge wrote.
“Consequently, all conditions for his release on bail are hereby immediately removed,” he added.
However, the judge stated that the discharge shall not operate as a bar to any subsequent proceedings commenced against the said Chilima within six months of the discharge, on account of the same facts.
“Pursuant to Section 99(3) of the Constitution, reasons for the exercise by the Director of Public Prosecutions of his power of discontinuance herein shall be provided to the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly within ten (10) days from the date of the aforementioned Certificate of Discontinuance,” Kapindu concluded.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
The move to discontinue the case comes just a week after the Vice President appeared to resume his full delegated powers when he traveled to Tanzania to represent the country at that country’s independence day activities.
Previously, President Lazarus Chakwera had stripped off his powers to accommodate the official probe into his alleged conduct.
Chilima’s lawyer Khumbo Soko said the defence team is thrilled by the development.
“We are excited and this is a relief not just for us but for our client too. When you are defending a defendant in a criminal case, you hope that the case has to be resolved in his favour and, so, that’s what has happened to us,” Soko said.
ACB Chief Legal and Prosecutions Officer Imran Saidi, who was leading the prosecution team in the case, did not comment on the matter.
The Vice President, who is also UTM president— a political partner to the governing Malawi Congress Party— is yet to speak on the matter but his party spokesperson Felix Njawala could not hide his excitement, saying this is the news that the party has been waiting to hear.
“We are happy. We would also like to thank our party president because he asked us to remain calm and let the wheels of justice roll,” he said.
Chilima was brought before a magistrate court after his arrest and his case was committed to the Financial Crimes Division of the High Court after he was charged.
Later, his two counts were dropped and he was remaining with three counts— which also fall off following the discharge.
Commenting on the matter, ACB spokesperson Egrita Ndala said the bureau has taken note of the order by the court.
“The court has done what it was supposed to do upon filing of Discontinuance Certificate by the DPP,” Ndala said.
