Chilima fails to explain himself why bringing alliance agreement out now

Malawi Vice President Saulosi Klaus Chilima has failed to justify his move to bring the issues of presidential immunity and Political Alliance agreements at the time he has been implicated in corruption, money laundering and racketeering allegations.

In an interview soon after he had finished his statement, Times TV journalist Brian Banda asked Chilima why he has decided to pursue the issue of presidential immunity and the Alliance agreement now yet he has been silent on the two issues for the past two years.

Said Banda: “Why are you bringing the issue of immunity at this time when there is this Sattar issue?”

In his rather awkward and bizarre response, Chilima just said “there’s no any reason for that. That is what we agreed that the laws on immunity of the sitting president should be removed,” he added.

Brian Banda: pinned the Vice President

Banda pressed Chilima further on what was agreed in the Tonse Alliance agreement to the effect that President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera would not stand for re-election in 2025.

“Why are you bringing these issues now not during the time in 2020 when people were interested to know. Are these issues coming out because you are now under ACB [Anti-Corruption Bureau] investigations,” Banda probed further.

Chilima answered: “Everything happens at its own time. Even in heaven it was written that today 1 July 2022, what is happening will happen.”

The Vice Pr3esident addressed Malawians from his UTM Party’s headquarters in Area 10, Lilongwe, a week after his name was mentioned as one of the high profile people who benefited from money donations and payments from the UK based businessman Zuneth Sattar suspected of bribing and corrupting politically exposed persons in Malawi.

Sattar, yet to be charged in UK or Malawi, recently challenged the National Crime Agency in United Kingdom to “bring it on” and vowed to win the case.

Many have seen today’s address as an attempt to divert attention from his mention in the issue.

Analysts and Social commentators have also questioned Chilima’s timing on discussing the two issues at the time he has been implicated in corruption allegations.

Undule Mwakasungula: missed opportunity

One of the social commentators and human rights activist Undule Mwakasungula pointed out that the two issues were just a cover up to his corruption allegations.

“The topic on the President’s immunity is complicated and Chilima is bringing it now just because he is involved in the Sattar corruption investigations,” said Mwakasungula, adding that the speech as a squandered opportunity to inform Malawians about his suspected role in corruption allegations.

Chilima has been faulted for spending “too much time focusing on the 2025 political interests at the expense of critical issues such as the corruption, in which he is named, and the current economic situation.

Another renowned social commentator Willy Kambwandira of Centre for Transparency and Accountability described the statement as lacking and empty.

Kambwandira also labelled Chilima’s public statement as a missed opportunity to address serious issues that many Malawians were eagerly waiting for especially clarifying, elaborating and clearing his name in relation to the Sattar corruption case.

“The vice president’s speech has failed to live to people’s expectations. We expected the vice president to explain to us his relationship with Sattar. How close is he to Sattar? Has he at any point dealt with Sattar?

“But the vice president has failed to answer all these questions and worse still the president did not take questions from members of the press. To me I feel this is a missed opportunity on both vice president’s part and of course Malawians at large,” said Kambwandira.

Willy Kambwandira: what a waste of time

Kambwandira said he feels the Vice president was supposed to outline strategies his party and of course himself are going to undertake to support ACB’s fight against corruption after party cadres blocked the road to his residence after being tipped that ACB interrogators were to attend his house.

Taking his turn, another commentator Peter Jegwa Kumwenda a seasoned journalist feels the Vice president has missed an opportunity to clear his name.

“If you read the statement which the office of the vice president issued some days ago immediately after the vice president’s name was mentioned in the Zuneth Sattar corruption report and what the vice president has said today you would notice that there are some contradictions.

“In the statement the office of the veep issued, it hinted that the vice president is clean and will clear himself but today if you listen to the vice president he has failed to exhaust the issue of corruption in relation to the Zuneth Sattar case,” said Jegwa Kumwenda.

A report by the ACB confirmed the allegations from another report by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) that the vice president received huge sums of money from Sattar.

Chilima, in his address, told the nation that he is committed to see that the graft busting body is left to operate independently without interference and that he is willing to cooperate with the bureau in it’s investigations.

Chilima also said that in the agreement he signed with President Dr Lazarus Chakwera the two agreed that they will support each other as presidential candidates for a single term each.

“The agreement was that if one is the running mate this time, then the other will support him in the second term to lead the the alliance,” he said.

Chilima also threatened that if the Alliance is to end today, then it will mean that the country should go for fresh presidential elections before 2025.

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Nelson Simwinga
Nelson Simwinga
1 year ago

The commentator quoted in this article are a confused lot. Chilima was very elaborate and he addressed what needed to be addressed very well… as for the corruption allegations, one can not clear his name on such a serious allegation at a press conference: what are courts for? As for demanding changes in the president’s immunity, it shows that he has a joker..ofuna kumwa msuzi… no one is clean

Alexander Gombar
Alexander Gombar
1 year ago

Chilima is not obliged to explain himself or defend himself on the issue which has not been brought to his attention. When ACB is ready, he will then be obliged to explain himself.

Tobias Bob
Tobias Bob
1 year ago

I think the VP was right to keep his mouth as the corruption issue requires legal process.

Kingsley Chimwaza
Kingsley Chimwaza
1 year ago

Time has come so that Malawias must know the truth about alliance.

harrison yambukani
harrison yambukani
1 year ago

afana oganiza bho aja ayamba kundikaikisa zochitika

Kaitano
Kaitano
1 year ago

Kikkkk this dude Chilima is just useless vice president, I guess that’s why the DPP just passed on him like a tractor 🚜. If he want another election,he will do it with anthu akwawo kikkkkk! Basi a Malawi kuwaona ngati zitosi? Aaaaaaa a wa ndiye aitu kikkk!

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