Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale return to private practice: ‘I did my very best’

Attorney General  Kalekeni Kaphale has confirmed that he has completed three years contract  as the country’s top law official and wants to return to private practice.

“My three year contract expires today. It’s been great experience [to work as Attorney General] as the position is a hugely demanding one,” said Kaphale in an interview with Nyasa Times on Friday.

“However, I believe I did my very best and that is very,very important,” he added .

During his stint, he argued in many contentious matters and giving legal opinion  including the high-profile $500 million (K400 billion) construction of water pipeline from Salima to Lilongwe, calling for a review of certain details of the contract.

The AG’s office, as per procedure and legal requirement, is supposed to vet all government contracts to ensure they are in line with relevant legal instruments, but in some cases he was reportedly bypassed.

During the three years of his contract, Kaphale saved millions of tax payers when he successfully defended Malawi government in a lawsuit in which Malawi Mobile Limited (MML), a private company that sought to establish a mobile phone network,  claimed damages  of K98 billion through Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Court.

Kaphale, Senior Counsel, before he was hired as Attorney General  was the managing partner at Kalekeni Kaphale Lawyers, a private legal firm based in Blantyre.

He is also well known for taking up cases involving high-profile individuals in society, including the President Peter Mutharika’s now discontinued treason case where Kaphale was one of the lead defence lawyers.

Kaphale has been a lawyer for 26 years and has previously served in the public sector as chief legal counsel for the Malawi Revenue Authority between 1999 and 2002.