…….Regional Chairmen applaud President Chakwera for the ‘pragmatic’ decision…
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga is back on his job after a year-long suspension.
Kapondamgaga was suspended following allegations that he was involved in deals with UK-based businessman Zuneth Sattar.
However, a year after Kapondamgaga’s suspension, the graft-bursting body ACB decided to discontinue its investigations on him.
This contributed to a lot of wild speculations that the Chief of Staff may have been a victim of political machinations within and outside the corridors of power.
Kapondamgaga’s suspension is believed to have excited some of President Chakwera’s detractors as he was seen as one of the President’s trusted henchmen.
The lifting of his suspension coincided with his appearing at the ACB where he is believed to have been questioned and after thorough assessment, the ACB decided to clear him.
Meanwhile, several legal experts have weighed in on Kapondamgaga’s matter from a legal perspective.
Most of legal experts believe that the fact that Kapondamgaga voluntarily returned a vehicle he is alleged to have received from Sattar as a gift does not make him an accomplice of a crime unless proven otherwise.
“Mr. Kapondamgaga was well advised when he volunteered to return the vehicle he received as a gift from Mr. Sattar back to ACB. For heaven’s sake, we all receive gifts in one way or the other, as such we don’t know where money for buying such gifts could have come from. If the courts were to be arresting people for receiving gifts allegedly from proceeds of crime then the entire nation would be jailed,” said a Lilongwe-based lawyer who pleaded for anonymity.
Also speaking on condition of strict anonymity, another legal practitioner based in Blantyre said: “When ACB summons a suspect, it doesn’t mean that person is guilty. Three things happen after appearing before ACB. Either you get arrested or you are let go while investigations continue or you are cleared outright as what has happened with Mr. Kapondamgaga. In my view, the President has done nothing wrong as far as the laws of Malawi are concerned. The President’s Chief of Staff is a free man.”
Meanwhile, news about Kapondamgaga’s return to State House has excited most MCP die Hards who have described the Chief of Staff as the “truest and honest character fit to be closer to the President and serves interests of President Chakwera and the party with dedication, commitment, and loyalty.”
Regional Chairmen of the ruling party this publication has talked to have also expressed their approval of the President’s decision.
