Following the firing of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Steven Kayuni by President Lazarus Chakwera, the President proceeded to appoint the Director of the Legal Aid Bureau Masauko Chamkalala as the new DPP.
The DPP is a constitutional office and is responsible for all the prosecutions the state carries out in the country.
The appointment of Chamkalala as the new DPP came shortly after the President pronounced the firing the DPP Steven Kayuni who was found wanting for his lack of sound judgment.
Said the President:
“I summoned Dr. Kayuni to express to him my great displeasure and to hear his response in the interest of natural justice. While he expressed deep regret for his unsound judgment, he also made it clear that he feels deeply wounded by the continuing damage caused to his reputation and personal safety by the audio that leaked a year ago.
“As such, to prevent him from using a public office to settle a personal injury, I have removed Dr. Kayuni from office with immediate effect, and I thank him for his many years of service.
“In his place, I have appointed Masauko Edwin Chamkakala as Malawi’s new Director of Public Prosecutions, and I call on all agencies of the State to support his efforts.
Kayuni was fired for abusing his office to settle personal scores with Chizuma. The fired DPP, in an unprecedented move, unleashed the Police who raided Chizuma’s residence before dawn hounding her into police vehicle and whisked her away to distant Namitete Police Unit.
This angered western diplomats who demanded her immediate release or sanctions on top government officials. She was released unconditionally almost immediately earning her the status of a ‘pangolin,’ one of the country’s most protected species.
