The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) has written President Lazarus Chakwera demanding the immediate dismissal of State House Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga following his implication in a bribery case currently underway in a UK court.
In the letter dated June 3 and signed by CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa, the governance watchdog says President Chakwera risks undermining the credibility of his office and Malawi’s image globally by continuing to harbour a public officer facing serious corruption allegations abroad.
The letter refers to a case that commenced on May 30, 2025, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where Kapondamgaga is alleged to have received a bribe from Zuneth Sattar, a UK-based businessman at the centre of a high-profile corruption scandal in Malawi.
“It is no longer a speculation that there is a corruption allegation implicating Mr Kapondamgaga since the matter is now before the court,” the letter reads. “Please, show that you care by removing Mr Kapondamgaga from State House until he clears his name in the courts”
CDEDI reminded President Chakwera of his June 22, 2022, national address in which he confirmed that 84 Malawians were named in a report from then-Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Director General Martha Chizuma. On that same day, Chakwera suspended Kapondamgaga along with several others, but he has since been quietly reinstated while most others were arrested.
“Malawians were shocked to learn about the reinstatement of Mr. Kapondamgaga at the State House while others were interdicted,” Namiwa wrote. “If you are, indeed, serious about fighting corruption, then you are sending a different message to Malawians and the international community.”
CDEDI warned that by allowing someone suspected of indulging in corruption to remain in public office, the President is depriving himself of the moral ground to claim leadership in the fight against corruption.
