Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Director of Legal Affairs and lawyer George Kadzipatike says he has evaded arrest after more than 20 police and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) officers raided his law offices in Lilongwe and Mzuzu on Friday.
The raid came barely days after Parliament adjourned, ending the period during which Members of Parliament enjoy parliamentary privileges and immunities in connection with parliamentary proceedings.
Kadzipatike, who is also a private-practice lawyer and parliamentarian, said the authorities’ action was linked to alleged tax issues involving his law firm.
“I thought if they had tax issues with me, the best way was to engage me. The first option for a taxman should be to collect tax and not to have taxpayers imprisoned and their businesses disrupted,” Kadzipatike said.
He further alleged that the operation was politically motivated, claiming that he was being targeted because of his role representing MCP and opposition figures in court, as well as his participation in the ad-hoc parliamentary committee investigating the Chikangawa plane crash.
“This action by MRA confirms my fears that I am being victimized for representing MCP and opposition figures in their cases in the Courts and for being among the legislators standing up for justice on the ad-hoc parliamentary committee on the Chikangawa plane crash inquiry,” he said.
According to Kadzipatike, officers seized a significant number of files from his Lilongwe and Mzuzu offices, raising concerns among clients whose legal matters are contained in the confiscated documents.
He also said personal computers belonging to five lawyers at Jivason and Company were seized during the operation.
Kadzipatike, however, assured clients that the raid would not cripple the firm’s operations, saying electronic backups of the firm’s records are available.
“I would like to take this opportunity to assure all clients that business at my law firm has not been disrupted. We have electronic backup for all the files and where need be, we are going to be photocopying their files from the Courts,” he said.
The lawyer said he and his colleagues are engaging both the MRA and the police over the matter.
The allegations of political victimisation made by Kadzipatike have not been independently established. Authorities are yet to publicly provide a detailed explanation of the operation, including the specific tax offences allegedly under investigation.
The development comes at a politically sensitive time, with Kadzipatike being both an MCP legal official and a legislator who has been involved in parliamentary scrutiny of issues concerning the government.
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