State House denies Mutharika has fired Chaponda

State House has described as hoax reports making rounds in social media that President Peter Mutharika has  firedthe embattled Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water development George Chaponda following recommendations by presidetinal commission of inquiry that he should be investigate by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the Zamiba maize saga.

State House spokesman Mgeme Kalirani said it is only the President who has powers to hire and fire cabinet ministers therefore people should ignore false reports to the contrary.

“The President has just received the commission of inquiry, he is looking at it. He has discretion of the matter,” he said.

However, Mutharika is on record dismissing reports that Chaponda is linked to the suspicious maize deal in the procurement of maize from Zambia.

Speaking on Friday in Lilongwe, Mutharika was in defence of Chaponda, describing the reports as false.

However, a day after his statement, a commission of inquiry he appointed to look into the matter found that Chaponda’s involvement in his dealings with Transglobe was most inappropriate, suspicious and raising issues of corrupt practices.

The commission therefore recommended that the graft busting body, the ACB investigates the matter further.

ACB spokesperson Egritta Ndala said the bureau was already investigating the matter.

She, however, refused to say the level at which the investigations are.

“The investigations are progressing well, we are not looking at individuals but the whole matter surrounding the maize procurement,” she said.

However, Malawians are expressing worry that ACB might not do a good job of investigaing and prosecuting the matter taking into account the current position of the ACB which is a mere handclapper to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party officials.