By Suleman Chitera
President Arthur Peter Mutharika has firmly rejected assertions by former president Lazarus Chakwera that the arrest of senior Malawi Congress Party (MCP) officials under the current administration is politically driven, describing the claims as misleading, hypocritical, and detached from the realities of law enforcement.
In a statement issued yesterday, Chakwera alleged that he held a phone conversation with Mutharika in which he raised concern over what he termed a “disturbing pattern” of politically motivated arrests targeting members of the main opposition party. Chakwera portrayed the arrests as an abuse of state power and a regression to selective justice.
However, Mutharika’s Press Secretary, Cathy Maulidi, dismissed the claims outright, stating that the President made it clear to his predecessor that the arrests are grounded in evidence, not politics.
According to Maulidi, President Mutharika reminded Chakwera that during his tenure, numerous arrests were carried out amid public spectacle but collapsed due to lack of evidence, exposing a governance style that favored political persecution over professional investigations.
“The President categorically rejected the notion that these arrests are politically motivated,” Maulidi said. “He emphasized that unlike in the previous administration, where arrests were allegedly made without sufficient evidence and yielded no convictions, the current law enforcement agencies are proceeding strictly on the basis of clear and credible evidence.”
In what many analysts view as a direct rebuke, Mutharika reportedly told Chakwera that the rule of law cannot be suspended simply because suspects hold senior positions in the opposition. He further assured that all individuals arrested will be taken to court within the shortest possible time, signaling a departure from prolonged detentions and media trials that characterized the past.
So far, five high-profile MCP figures have been arrested on various charges: Vitumbiko Mumba, Richard Chimwendo Banda, Jessie Kabwila, Moses Kunkuyu, and Ezekiel Ching’oma. Authorities have not publicly detailed all the charges, but insist investigations are evidence-led and legally sound.
Critics have been quick to note the irony in Chakwera’s complaints. During his administration, the Anti-Corruption Bureau and other state agencies were frequently accused of targeting political opponents while shielding allies, with many high-profile arrests ending in acquittals or being quietly abandoned.
Political commentators argue that Chakwera’s latest remarks appear less about safeguarding democracy and more about shielding his party from accountability.
“Mutharika is effectively telling Chakwera that the era of arrests for headlines is over,” said one governance expert. “If there is evidence, the law must take its course—regardless of party colors.”
As the political temperature rises, one message from State House is unmistakably clear: the current administration will not be lectured on justice by those accused of weaponizing it. Whether the courts will ultimately uphold the prosecutions remains to be seen, but for now, Mutharika has drawn a sharp line—accountability is not persecution, and evidence, not politics, will determine guilt or innocence.
