Africa-Press – Malawi. A dramatic twist has rocked an already controversial case, with former Immigration Director General Charles Kalumo directly implicating former president Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera in the questionable issuance of a Malawian diplomatic passport to a Nigerian businessman now facing international fraud charges.
In sworn court affidavits, Kalumo makes a bold and consequential claim: that the decision to grant a diplomatic passport to Dozy Mmobuosi in 2023 did not originate from him, but was instead ordered from the very top—by the President himself.
The revelation strikes at the heart of executive authority and accountability.
Mmobuosi, who presented himself as a tech entrepreneur, would later be indicted in the United States over an alleged large-scale securities fraud scheme. Yet, according to court records, he was granted a Malawian diplomatic passport—number MWD001402—shortly after a high-level meeting with Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, at a time when the country was grappling with the devastation of a cyclone disaster.
Kalumo’s account raises troubling questions: how did a foreign national, later accused of serious financial crimes abroad, secure one of Malawi’s most privileged travel documents? And who truly bears responsibility?
As Kalumo prepares to appear before the Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court, his defence is not merely procedural—it is explosive.
Through his lawyer, Chrispin Ndalama, Kalumo argues that he was acting under direct presidential instruction, effectively shifting the weight of responsibility to the former Head of State. The defence insists that Kalumo cannot be held personally liable for actions carried out in execution of orders from a sitting president, invoking the principle of functional immunity.
But the legal challenge goes even deeper.
Ndalama is also questioning the very foundation of the case, arguing that the matter falls under the Corrupt Practices Act and should have been investigated and prosecuted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), not the police. This technical argument, if upheld, could destabilize the prosecution’s case before it fully takes off.
Legal analysts say the implications are profound.
If the court accepts that Kalumo was merely executing presidential orders, the spotlight could shift dramatically—placing Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera at the center of a scandal that now stretches beyond administrative irregularities into potential abuse of office.
The case, once seen as a matter of bureaucratic misconduct, is fast evolving into a test of political accountability at the highest level.
With the court set to hear preliminary objections, the stakes could not be higher. What unfolds next may not only determine Kalumo’s fate—but could also redefine the boundaries of power, responsibility, and immunity in Malawi’s governance system.
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