Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga off the hook as ACB drops charges
Malawi’s graft busting body, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), says president’s Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga is no longer a person of interest and has dropped potential charges against him in a case related to corruption and bribery suspect UK based businessman Zunneth Sattar.
Kapondamgaga also doubles as a political strategist to the president and ruling Malawi Congress is poised for a return to his job to bring stability to the presidency riddled with missteps in some key decisions.
In November last year, President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera suspended Kapondamgaga following allegations from ACB that he was among high profile personalities suspected to have taken brides from or been corrupted by the businessman.
Since then, the Bureau has been conducting its investigations until last week when it announced that it had resolved to drop the charges.
ACB Principal Public Relations Officer Egrita Ndala, in a statement shared with the media, said they arrived at the decision to clear Kapondamgaga after he freely surrendered a Mercedes Benz he received from businessman Sattar who is still currently under investigation.
The motive behind gifting Kapondamgaga such an expensive motor car is unknown and no favours or business was given to the businessman.
Ndala disclosed that Kapondamgaga confirmed with the Bureau that he indeed received a vehicle as a gift from the businessman and it did not occur to him that he was being bribed by the businessman; hence, his decision to surrender it and willingly volunteer to assist the ACB with information regarding the issue.
“After a review of the evidence against Mr Kapondamgaga in the case, evaluation of the information he provided in respect of the broader investigation to Zunneth Sattar and the restitution agreement he has voluntarily entered with the Bureau, a prosecutorial discretion has been exercised not to lay criminal charges against him,” reads the statement.
Kapondamgaga is the only high high-ranking official to be set free by the ACB among several who are still answering cases relating to the matter.
