By IOMMIE CHIWALO

The human rights body, Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI) is requesting office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to make public the terms that have led to the out of court settlement agreement, within seven (7) days or else Malawians will be forced to make their own conclusion and decide to take action.

In a letter addressed to DPP Masauko Chamkakala and copied to Minister of Finance, CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa is seeking clarity on how the department in the ministry of Justice arrived at a decision to announce withdrawing the MK16.5 billion tax evasion case involving Mapeto David Whitehead and the Malawi Revenue Authority(MRA), that led to the arrest of three of the company’s directors and some MRA officials in 2021.

“It is worth highlighting that your action has attracted huge public interest, since it is coming at time when government is contemplating casting its tax net wider, in the face of the shrinking revenue collection, amid the ballooning public debt and expenditure,” said Namiwa.

Meanwhile Social Media is awash with a notice from the DPP to the High Court Registrar, dated October 17, 2023 titled REVENUE CASE NO 11 OF 2022-THE REPUBLIC vs FAIZAL GAFFAR LATIF AND OTHERS; BEING CRIMINAL CASE NO. 397 0F 2021, BEFORE THE CRM, SOUTH,”

The clarity from DPP is sought after CDEDI also wrote the MRA on October 12, 2023, over the same.

The DPP is yet to respond on our query regarding his decision to opt for out of court settlement despite tax evasion case falling under criminal category.

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