MISA Malawi has said that the Army Commander General Paul Velentino Phiri and the Attorney General (AG) Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has assured the organization that there are no plans to arrest journalist Gregory Gondwe or intimidate him for exposing government’s audacious revival of a canceled arms deal, defying a restriction order from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Gondwe, Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) Editorial Director wrote a story that the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has made a substantial payment to a firm associated with businessman Zuneth Sattar, who is currently under scrutiny for alleged corrupt practices, in a move that contradicts President Lazarus Chakwera’s stance on corruption.
This transaction, involving a $4.98 million (K8.4Bn) payment, forms part of a larger deal amounting to $19.93 million (K33.6Bn) for the procurement of 32 Armoured Personal Carriers (APCs).
“We would like to remind government bodies and all citizens that threats on journalists are retrogressive and a threat to democracy. We believe that if MDF or any other concerned parties have an issue with the media, they should use proper channels to raise such issues, but military interrogations and threats are not among those channels.
“The threats on Gondwe’s life have a chilling effect on journalists and the media fraternity. As a democracy, Malawi should not slide back to the era of heavy-handedness on media and critical voices. We will continue engaging the leadership at MDF and the office of the Attorney General to ensure the safety of Gondwe and a free and conducive media operating environment,” reads part of MISA Malawi statement released on Thursday and signed by chairperson Golden Matonga
Earlier, Gondwe said he is currently in hiding, on advice from military sources.
“This isn’t just about legal threats, which I was prepared to face head-on. Yesterday, top government officials confirmed that the MDF intended to ‘arrest’ me for allegedly ‘endangering state security’—a vague and ominous accusation.”
“Given the potential for my situation to be ‘accidentalised’ with a seemingly plausible explanation posthumously, I’ve heeded the advice to protect myself. In this line of work, death can be disguised as an accident, and no hospital can revive a life once lost,” Gondwe wrote on his Facebook Page.
