The Office of the Attorney General says disclosing Malawi Defence Force (MDF) procurement documents in the vice president Saulos Chilima’s corruption case could jeopardize national security.
The Vice president is accused of allegedly demanding kickbacks from businessman Zuneth Sattar for an award of a contract to supply military equipment to the Malawi Defence Force (MDF).
One of the lawyers representing Chilima, Bright Theu has told the local media that the documents are a requirement for the defence as they will help once the case commences.
However, ACB’s Deputy Director for Civil Litigation, Neverson Chisiza, has indicated that disclosing the documents at this stage would compromise the state of security.
“Considering the sensitivity of the documents, MDF cannot tender them due to security concerns,” said Chisiza.
Meanwhile, Financial Crimes Court Judge Redson Kapindu has reserved his ruling on the matter.
The Judge has asked Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Chilima’s legal team to file submissions before Friday this week.
After the submissions, the court will rule on whether Malawi Defence Force should disclose its procurement documents to the defendants or not.
