AG Silungwe disowns signature on K750m hot payout to Makileni: HRDC asks Malawi govt to probe

Attorney General Chikosa Silungwe is calling for investigations over a signature he claims was forged to be appear to be his  approving the controversial award of over K750 million in an out of court settlement to former Local Government principal secretary Christopher Makileni.

Silungwe purportedly signed a consent agreement with Makileni amounting to K754 million, including vehicle replacement and fuel amounting to K200 million and K54 million respectively, prompting an immediate backlash

The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), through lawyer Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda,  moved to challenge the controversial award.

OPC asked the AG to withdraw the settlement.

But in court documents, which Nyasa Times has seen,  Silungwe is disowning the signature in an application his office filed at the Industrial Relations Court on Wednesday.

The applications seeks to move the court to set aside the consent order.

Reads in part the application dated January 20 2021: “When the consent order, sated August 4 was presented to court for endorsement, there purported to be the Attorney General’s  signature when, in fact, the Attorney General never put his signature on the said consent order.

“Therefore, the consent order was executed through misrepresentation to the court that the consent  order contained the signature of  the Attorney General.”

One of the lawyers for Makileni, Paul Maulidi, insists the consent order still stands , saying it was  dully signed by both the former and current Attorney General.

Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC)  chairperson Gift Trapence said government should investigate the controversy surrounding approval of the consent order and  “those that committed crimes, if any, be brought to book.”

Makileni who was redeployed to OPC amid a disciplinary investigation into his role in alleged illegal promotion of district commissioners when he was PS was still on government salary and enjoying vehicle and fuel benefits when he sued for constructive dismissal.