Chakwera’s guard arrested over body parts of persons with albinism

…Lawyer dumps the suspect

Police say they have arrested a security guard working for Malawi Congress Party (MCP) President Lazarus Chakwera after the aide was suspected of selling body parts of persons with albinism.

National Police spokesperson James Kadadzera confirmed the arrest saying the suspect told police that he is a security guard at Chakwera’s Area 10 residence.

According to a police report, law enforcers were tipped that the suspect Dekhani Kamphamtengo, 41, was selling body parts belonging of a person with albinism.

Kaphamtengo approached someone that he was looking for a buyer of albino human parts. But the person instead tipped police believing that he would receive the K5m Government reward which President Peter Mutharika announced.

Having received the tip, Sub-inspector R. Kalawire and other officers mounted a smart operation and posed themselves as possible buyers.

“They agreed to meet the suspect at city centre Golden Peacock Hotel with the officers who posed as buyers and offered to buy the said human tissues at K5 million,” reads the police situation report dated March 27, 2019

The seller told them that he would take them to his home where the parts were not knowing that he was being secretly recorded.

They drove towards Kawale but Kamphamtengo became suspicious that Kalawire and his team could be police officers. He then began giving excuses of the whereabouts of the bones. When they got to Kawale, he told the officers that he could not access the house as his wife was away. He took them around town to get the key on what looked like an endless ride.

Police also noted that Lazarus Chakwera tried to secure an expensive lawyer by the name of Donvan Silungwe.

But more drama was yet to follow as the albino bones suspect appeared before the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court on the same Wednesday, 27 March.

Donvan Silungwe the lawyer went to the court with Nick Chakwera who is the son to Lazarus Chakwera.

Drama ensued when the lawyer was briefed the matter. He immediately turned down the case and said: “If this is the matter you called me for, I cannot proceed because it is against my morals.” The lawyer walked away.

Lazarus Chakwera recently told Malawians that he has solutions to the abductions and killings of persons swith albinism and sale of their bones.

Meanwhile, police have charged Kamphamtengo with “publication of false news likely to cause fear and alarm to the public; that’s Section 60 of the penal code.”

Kamphamtengo hails from Kasinje Village, Traditional Authority Kalumbu in Lilongwe.