Malawi’s Attorney General, Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda, has vehemently denied allegations of wrongdoing in a mining contract negotiation, dismissing media reports as ‘sensational’ and ‘baseless.’
Nyirenda defended his actions as legal, stating that the firms involved were already on the Ministry of Justice’s approved vendors list.
The allegations surfaced after the Platform for Investigative Journalism in Malawi (PIJM) on 14th September 2024 published a story reporting that it had obtained documents suggesting Nyirenda played a significant role in hiring a UK law firm to review a mining agreement between Malawi and Mkango Resources Limited.
According to the PIJ report, the Attorney General made a foreign company seeking a mining concession pay $180,000.00 for a legal opinion produced by a private company he single-handedly sourced. Further allegations surfaced that $80,000 (some 138 million kwacha) received from the mining company went missing.
But Nyirenda expressed disappointment and outrage over the allegations, describing them as ‘malicious’ and ‘unfortunate.’
He threatened to demand a retraction and apology from the publication, stating, “This is a sensational publication. They are making conclusions without supporting facts. I will demand a retraction and apology.”
Nyirenda questioned the PIJM’s source of funding, revealing that it gets payments from the United Kingdom High Commission in Malawi, the US Embassy in Malawi, and International Asset Recovery (ICAR).
The ‘outraged’ Attorney General further alleged that PIJM journalists are paid $500 per article, describing the conduct of the involved international partners as ‘misleading’ and compromising the media professional conduct.
However, the PIJM reported that the matter has raised concerns within the government about potential abuse of office. Documents obtained appear to show that Nyirenda played an oversized role in securing the services of London-based legal firms to review a draft mining development agreement between the Malawi Government and Mkango Resources Limited.
It also alleged Nyirenda acknowledged his role in the matter but defended it as wholly legal, claiming to have no knowledge of how the money from Mkango Resources Limited was deposited into the law firm’s account.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the Attorney General will seek the retraction and apology or if the Platform for Investigative Journalism in Malawi will withdraw their published story.
