BLANTYRE – If ever there was a moment that exposed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for what it truly was—a cartel in suits—this is it.
In a judicial thunderclap dropped by the Supreme Court of Appeal today, two companies tied to DPP loyalist and self-styled business mogul Leston Mulli—Sunrise Pharmaceuticals and Chombe Foods—have been ordered to cough up K3 billion they once squeezed out of the government during the party’s time in power. And not just the money—they’re paying with interest, within 30 days, plus footing the legal bills for the state’s appeal and the original trial.
This is more than just a court ruling—it’s a public autopsy of DPP-era greed.
Under the DPP, Malawi was treated like a family inheritance—a personal farm for looting, where cronies were fed fat at the public trough. Remember when Malawi Savings Bank was handed over like a gift-wrapped souvenir to Thom Mpinganjira—the same man who later tried to bribe judges and steal an election? That wasn’t just carelessness—it was the blueprint.
And now, the consequences are catching up.
The origin of this scandal dates back to the 2011 nationwide protests against Bingu wa Mutharika’s autocratic rule. Mulli’s companies claimed they suffered losses and demanded compensation. Under the DPP’s watchful eye, the High Court granted them a shocking K3 billion payout. But when Attorney General Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda revisited the case under the Tonse Alliance administration, he wasn’t buying it. Neither did the Supreme Court.
The ruling bench—featuring legal heavyweights like Deputy Chief Justice Lovemore Chikopa and Justices Sylvester Kalembera, Dorothy Kamanga, and others—sliced through the DPP fiction with surgical precision. They dismissed every effort by Mulli’s lawyers (Tamando Chokhotho and Chancy Gondwe) to wriggle out of accountability.
Even an attempt to overturn the AG’s appeal was slapped down, sending a crystal-clear message: Malawi is no longer a playground for politically connected opportunists.
Oh, and the drama’s not over yet. The Court has ordered that the AG’s challenge to the original compensation be heard afresh in the High Court within 90 days—before a different judge. In other words, DPP’s sugar-coated empire of backdoor deals is being legally bulldozed, brick by brick.
If the DPP and its operatives thought they could keep living off the ghosts of past glory, this ruling is a flaming reminder that the bill has arrived—and it’s long overdue.
