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Mahakama ya Malawi imefuta mashtaka ya rushwa dhidi ya Makamu wa Rais Saulos Chilima baada ya mwendesha mashtaka wa serikali kuwasilisha notisi ya kusitisha kesi hiyo.
Hakuna sababu zilizotolewa kwa uamuzi huo.
Dkt Chilima alikamatwa Novemba 2022 kwa madai kwamba alikubali pesa kwa ajili ya kutoa kandarasi za serikali. Alikanusha mashtaka.
Hatua ya hivi punde imezua maswali kuhusu jinsi serikali inavyoshughulikia mashtaka kwa madai ya ufisadi.
kukamatwa kwa makamu wa rais kulifuatia tuhuma kwamba alipokea pesa ili kushawishi utoaji wa kandarasi kwa Xaviar Ltd na Malachitte FZE, kampuni mbili zinazohusishwa na mfanyabiashara wa Uingereza Zuneth Sattar.
Bw Sattar pia alikanusha makosa yoyote.
makamu wa rais amefika mara kadhaa mahakamani tangu akamatwe, ingawa kesi halisi haikuanza.
.siku ya Jumatatu, hakimu mfawidhi Redson Kapindu aliamuru kuachiliwa mara moja akitaja faili kutoka kwa Mkurugenzi wa Mashtaka (DPP) aliyoitoa Ijumaa iliyopita ya "kusitishwa kwa mashtaka dhidi ya mshtakiwa kuhusiana na makosa matatu ya utendakazi wa rushwa".
DPP sasa ana siku 10 za kulijulisha rasmi bunge sababu zilizopelekea uamuzi wa kufuta mashtaka dhidi ya makamu wa rais, kama inavyotakiwa na katiba, alisema jaji huyo.
Wakili wa Dk Chilima, Khumbo Soko, alieleza kufarijika kwa uamuzi wa kuwafutia mashtaka.
"Kufikia sasa, hatujui sababu za kusitishwa, inatosha kusema ni bunge pekee ndilo lenye mamlaka ya kujua," shirika la habari la Reuters lilimnukuu akisema.
wakosoaji wa Rais wa Malawi Lazarus Chakwera wanasema maendeleo hayo ni dalili zaidi ya ugumu wake katika kupambana na madai ya ufisadi.
Rais Chakwera alifanya kukabiliana na ufisadi kuwa moja ya ahadi zake kuu za kampeni mwaka 2020 na katika hotuba za hadhara mara kwa mara anazungumzia dhamira ya seri
kali yake ya kuimaliza.
=======
A Malawian court has dropped corruption charges against Vice-President Saulos Chilima after the state prosecutor filed a notice for the case to be discontinued.
No reasons were given for the decision.
Dr Chilima was arrested in November 2022 on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts. He denied the charges.
The latest move has provoked questions over the government’s handling of prosecutions for alleged corruption.
The vice-president's arrest followed accusations he had received money to influence the awarding of contracts to Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies linked to British businessman Zuneth Sattar.
Mr Sattar also denied any wrondoing.
The vice-president has made several court appearances since his arrest, although the actual trial never commenced.
On Monday, presiding judge Redson Kapindu ordered his immediate discharge citing a filing from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) made last Friday of a "discontinuance of charges against the accused person in respect of three counts of corrupt transactions".
The DPP now has 10 days to formally inform parliament of the reasons that led to the decision to drop the charges against the vice-president, as required by the constitution, the judge said.
Dr Chilima's lawyer, Khumbo Soko, expressed relief over the decision to drop the charges.
"As of now, we do not know the reasons for the discontinuance, suffice to say only parliament has the mandate to know," the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
Critics of the Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera say the development is a further indication of his difficulties in fighting alleged corruption.
President Chakwera made dealing with graft one of his key campaign pledges in 2020 and in public speeches repeatedly speaks highly of his government's commitment to bringing it to an end.
When tens of other high profile officials including the vice-president were named in a corruption scandal, the president dismissed several of the named officials.
Under Malawi law the president cannot fire the vice-president.
The president however made a public announcement that he would no longer delegate him any official duties while he was facing trial.
The promise did not last long and the president had started to assign official duties to his vice-president even before the case was dropped on Monday.
This has led critics to suggest the president had a hand in the decision to end the case against Dr Chilima.
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu however said the decision to drop the charges was done in accordance with the law.
Hakuna sababu zilizotolewa kwa uamuzi huo.
Dkt Chilima alikamatwa Novemba 2022 kwa madai kwamba alikubali pesa kwa ajili ya kutoa kandarasi za serikali. Alikanusha mashtaka.
Hatua ya hivi punde imezua maswali kuhusu jinsi serikali inavyoshughulikia mashtaka kwa madai ya ufisadi.
kukamatwa kwa makamu wa rais kulifuatia tuhuma kwamba alipokea pesa ili kushawishi utoaji wa kandarasi kwa Xaviar Ltd na Malachitte FZE, kampuni mbili zinazohusishwa na mfanyabiashara wa Uingereza Zuneth Sattar.
Bw Sattar pia alikanusha makosa yoyote.
makamu wa rais amefika mara kadhaa mahakamani tangu akamatwe, ingawa kesi halisi haikuanza.
.siku ya Jumatatu, hakimu mfawidhi Redson Kapindu aliamuru kuachiliwa mara moja akitaja faili kutoka kwa Mkurugenzi wa Mashtaka (DPP) aliyoitoa Ijumaa iliyopita ya "kusitishwa kwa mashtaka dhidi ya mshtakiwa kuhusiana na makosa matatu ya utendakazi wa rushwa".
DPP sasa ana siku 10 za kulijulisha rasmi bunge sababu zilizopelekea uamuzi wa kufuta mashtaka dhidi ya makamu wa rais, kama inavyotakiwa na katiba, alisema jaji huyo.
Wakili wa Dk Chilima, Khumbo Soko, alieleza kufarijika kwa uamuzi wa kuwafutia mashtaka.
"Kufikia sasa, hatujui sababu za kusitishwa, inatosha kusema ni bunge pekee ndilo lenye mamlaka ya kujua," shirika la habari la Reuters lilimnukuu akisema.
wakosoaji wa Rais wa Malawi Lazarus Chakwera wanasema maendeleo hayo ni dalili zaidi ya ugumu wake katika kupambana na madai ya ufisadi.
Rais Chakwera alifanya kukabiliana na ufisadi kuwa moja ya ahadi zake kuu za kampeni mwaka 2020 na katika hotuba za hadhara mara kwa mara anazungumzia dhamira ya seri
kali yake ya kuimaliza.
=======
A Malawian court has dropped corruption charges against Vice-President Saulos Chilima after the state prosecutor filed a notice for the case to be discontinued.
No reasons were given for the decision.
Dr Chilima was arrested in November 2022 on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts. He denied the charges.
The latest move has provoked questions over the government’s handling of prosecutions for alleged corruption.
The vice-president's arrest followed accusations he had received money to influence the awarding of contracts to Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies linked to British businessman Zuneth Sattar.
Mr Sattar also denied any wrondoing.
The vice-president has made several court appearances since his arrest, although the actual trial never commenced.
On Monday, presiding judge Redson Kapindu ordered his immediate discharge citing a filing from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) made last Friday of a "discontinuance of charges against the accused person in respect of three counts of corrupt transactions".
The DPP now has 10 days to formally inform parliament of the reasons that led to the decision to drop the charges against the vice-president, as required by the constitution, the judge said.
Dr Chilima's lawyer, Khumbo Soko, expressed relief over the decision to drop the charges.
"As of now, we do not know the reasons for the discontinuance, suffice to say only parliament has the mandate to know," the Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
Critics of the Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera say the development is a further indication of his difficulties in fighting alleged corruption.
President Chakwera made dealing with graft one of his key campaign pledges in 2020 and in public speeches repeatedly speaks highly of his government's commitment to bringing it to an end.
When tens of other high profile officials including the vice-president were named in a corruption scandal, the president dismissed several of the named officials.
Under Malawi law the president cannot fire the vice-president.
The president however made a public announcement that he would no longer delegate him any official duties while he was facing trial.
The promise did not last long and the president had started to assign official duties to his vice-president even before the case was dropped on Monday.
This has led critics to suggest the president had a hand in the decision to end the case against Dr Chilima.
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu however said the decision to drop the charges was done in accordance with the law.
