By Falles Kamanga

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-There is something about the statement issued by Mrs. Triephornia Mpinganjira that simply does not sit well when one examines the sequence of events.

Let us remember how this matter started. Mrs. Mpinganjira reported to the police that unknown individuals were using her name and identity on social media to defraud members of the public.

The police did what they are supposed to do: they investigated and arrested a suspect, Mr. Feston Kenneth. From that moment, the matter became a criminal case, prosecuted by the State.

But criminal cases do not move forward on their own. They require witnesses. And in this case, the principal witness was the complainant herself.

When the matter reached the stage where Mrs. Mpinganjira was expected to appear before the court to testify, she reportedly did not show up. Without the complainant, the prosecution struggles to proceed. Yet during this period the suspect remained in custody.

Now, after months have passed — and after the young man has reportedly spent close to three months at Maula Prison — a public statement appears saying that Mrs. Mpinganjira had “forgiven” him and that the case is between the State and the accused.

Naturally, this raises questions.

How exactly was this forgiveness exercised? Was it communicated to the police or the prosecutors while the case was active? If forgiveness was genuinely extended, one would expect it to have been formally conveyed to the authorities handling the matter.

Even in the Biblical language often used when speaking about forgiveness, the words attributed to Jesus are instructive: “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11) Forgiveness in that context is not merely something held silently in one’s heart; it is something expressed and acted upon.

Meanwhile, there is a human dimension to this story that cannot be ignored.

The young man involved is reportedly a student at Mzuzu University. His education has been interrupted, and his life placed on hold while the case stalled in the system.

More troubling still, there are now suggestions that his identity may itself have been exploited by other individuals for fraudulent activity.

If the complainant had appeared before the court when required, the judicial process might have moved forward much sooner and the truth established in good time.

Instead, we now have a situation where a young man has spent months in prison, a case has lingered without resolution, and the public is left with more questions than answers.

One is therefore left wondering: who exactly is advising Mrs. Mpinganjira on these matters?

Because statements issued after the fact do not undo the time already lost, the disruption already caused, or the questions that now hang over the entire episode.

At the end of the day, justice must work for everyone — the complainant, the accused, and the public who expect the system to function fairly and transparently.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author not necessarily of The Maravi Post or Editor