The government has refused to release the list of prisoners pardoned by the President over Easter, prompting suspicion and speculation on who was pardoned. PIJ can disclose that the Ministry of Homeland presented to President Lazarus Chakwera requests for pardon from Misozi Chanthunya, a murder convict serving a life sentence alongside Pika Manondo and Macdonald Kumwembe, serving long prison sentences for attempting to murder former Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo at the height of cashgate, the biggest financial crime ever committed in Malawi.

MARIA CLEMENT BOSCO and JULIUS MBEŴE 

President Lazarus Chakwera was asked to consider providing pardons to Misozi Chanthunya, a murder convict serving a life sentence alongside Pika Manondo and Macdonald Kumwembe, serving long prison sentences for attempting to murder former Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo at the height of cashgate, the biggest financial crime ever committed in Malawi, documents sourced by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) disclose.

Chanthunya was convicted in 2020 for the brutal murder of Linda Gasa, which he allegedly committed in 2010. Gasa, Chanthunya’s Zimbabwean girlfriend, was a student at Malawi College of Accountancy in Blantyre.

It’s unclear if the President has granted the pardons to any of the three prisoners, as the State has guarded the list of the 22 prisoners released during the Easter celebrations. However, the minutes of the presidential advisory committee on prisoner pardons obtained by PIJ show that the committee recommended further discussions in Chanthunya’s case before a final decision was made at a meeting held in March.

According to officials familiar with the process and documents obtained by PIJ, the Ministry of Homeland draws the list for consideration by the committee in consultation with the Malawi Prisons Service. 

The minutes of the March committee meeting reveal that the Commissioner General for Prisons, through the Principal Secretary for Homeland, Steven Kayuni, submitted 55 convicted prisoners to the advisory committee. 

“After scrutinizing the names of the convicted prisoners by the committee, only twenty-two (22) convicted inmates were recommended for pardon,” read the minutes. 

The government has refused to release the list of those currently pardoned. 

Despite the government's secrecy over the pardons, PIJ yesterday revealed that while the President did not pardon jailed Chinese wildlife trafficker Lin YunHua, officials planned to release him via a general amnesty. Still, he remains in prison after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) obtained a court order to prevent his release. 

The minutes of the March meeting do not carry the names of inmates who have been released. But they show some of the inmates the committee recommended to the President for possible pardons, and those the committee rejected before even asking the President to review their requests for pardons. 

PIJ also sourced a Malawi Prisons Service memorandum to the Principal Secretary for Homeland Security dated 16 December 2023, which advised against pardoning Chanthunya as “pardons should be granted to only the prisoners who committed non-violent offenses and have at least served half of their sentences.” 

“I, therefore, submit that Mr. Misozi Chanthunya does not qualify for a pardon that might end up in his direct release from prison for five reasons…” wrote the Prisons Services.

The minutes show that the presidential advisory committee met in March this year and confirm two years later that Chanthunya was once again recommended to the President for a possible pardon. 

“Consideration of Misozi Chanthunya as forwarded by His Excellency the State President because the Committee members during the meeting agreed that there is a need to discuss the issue when all members are present at the meeting,” reads part of the minutes.

Among the documents sourced by PIJ is a letter from Chanthunya’s father requesting his pardon. The letter was presented to President Lazarus Chakwera, prompting the President to forward the request to the committee. 

Chanthunya’s father requested that the President release his son on compassionate grounds, arguing that the family has suffered a great ordeal since Misozi’s arrest in 2012. 

“My wife, Nelly, aged 71, and I, aged 76, find ourselves increasingly limited in our ability to provide for our family’s future, especially regarding the education of Misozi’s two children, Naledi (17) and Loeto (15), who reside with us. They are excelling in their studies, and it is our fervent hope that their educational aspirations can be realized with their father’s return. Misozi, a graduate with two degrees in economics and a proven track record as an astute businessman, can significantly contribute to their education and secure their path to university,” wrote Chanthunya’s father.

While the father acknowledged the gravity of Chanthunya’s case, he still pleaded for clemency from the President.

“I am writing to you as a concerned father and citizen of Malawi, earnestly appealing for Your Excellency’s compassion and intervention in the case of my son, Misozi Chanthunya. Misozi is currently serving a life sentence for his alleged involvement in the unfortunate passing of Linda Gasa in 2010,” wrote Mr Chanthunya.

He added: “Your Excellency, I am fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the legal proceedings that led to his conviction. However, as a father and a believer in the power of redemption and second chances, I implore Your Excellency to consider the unique circumstances that surround Misozi’s case.”

PIJ also scooped a letter from Pika Manondo and Macdonald Kumwembe, who were convicted alongside former Attorney General, late Ralph Kasambara, for the shooting of Paul Mphwiyo in 2013. Late Kasambara was controversially granted bail in March 2018 by the Supreme Court pending an appeal of his conviction and died last year in June while still on bail. 

Kumwembe, a former military man, and Manondo, a retired government auditor, were convicted by the High Court of Malawi in July 2016 for conspiracy and attempted murder and were sentenced to serve 11 and 15 years with hard labour, respectively.

In August 2016, they appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal against both convictions and sentences. The appeal was heard in 2022, and more than eight years after the appeal, the judgment is yet to be delivered.

Manondo and Kumwembe argued in their petition that while they could have preferred to wait for the appeal in the apex court to deliver its judgment, their pleas for judgment have fallen on deaf ears.

“In our case. We have prayed and fasted for this, but to no avail; it seems the judges’ hearts have hardened like Pharaoh’s. Late Kasambara’s untimely demise has led to both of us having depression, mental issues, hypertension, and anxiety disorders. We have reluctantly conceded that, barring the intervention of the state, we will both die here sooner than later,” they wrote to the President.

“We believe that we have been sufficiently punished for all our past indiscretions. We come to you as prodigal sons seeking forgiveness and restitution,” said Manondo and Kumwembe.  “We appeal to you as the Honourable Minister who God has used to pardon the most prisoners in the history of the Republic of Malawi and also as an upright God-fearing church elder.” 

The Minister of Justice chairs the Presidential Advisory Committee on granting pardons, which also includes the Minister of Homeland Security, the Minister of Health, the Attorney General, the Principal Secretary for Homeland, the Commissioner General for Prisons, and the Inspector General of Police, among others.

The office holders can either attend in person or send representatives. 

Meanwhile, the Youth and Society (YAS) has asked the government to publicly disclose the names and case details of the 21 inmates granted clemency during the 2025 Easter Presidential Pardon, warning that secrecy threatens public trust and violates constitutional obligations.

“Citing ‘security and privacy’ as grounds for withholding this information is neither legally persuasive nor aligned with constitutional expectations,” said YAS in a letter signed by Executive Director Charles Kajoloweka.

In a formal letter addressed to the Information Officer at the National Prison Headquarters in Lilongwe, YAS cited the Access to Information Act (2017) and Section 37 of the Constitution, asserting every citizen’s right to access information held by the State and demanded the names, offences, sentencing details, and the criteria used in selecting the 21 inmates.

“It creates suspicion of some unlawful and unacceptable practices because there is no reason why they should be keeping that information away from the public,” Kajoloweka added in an interview.

He said while protecting vulnerable individuals was important, he cautioned against using privacy as a smokescreen for avoiding accountability.

READ MORE:

PRESIDENTIAL PARDON LIST: GOVT WANTED TO RELEASE LIN, BUT ACB OBTAINED A COURT ORDER TO STOP IT

PAUL MPHWIYO VANISHES: CASHGATE WHISTLE-BLOWER TURNED ALLEGED KINGPIN

This article was produced by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), an independent centre for investigative journalism. PIJ is committed to professional and ethical journalism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maria Bosco is a journalist at Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) and a former student of the Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ) based in Lilongwe. Email: [email protected]