…German investigators say only looking at the plane, independent
…Kunkuyu, Chakwera lied about their roles
…as Chakwera fails to institute a Commission of Inquiry
Caught lying again. German investigators of the plane crash that killed Vice President Saulos Chilima have debunked Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu and MDF Commander Valentino Phiri that they are part of official and formal investigations into the crash. They say their mission is independent and limited to the technical aspects of the crash.
The German investigators charge that they will publish the analysis of the facts, conclusions, causes, and possible safety recommendations in a Final Report later after the interim report, which is expected to be completed by August.
This means there is no official inquiry on the part of the Malawi Government as the German experts are part of the standard aviation rules in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention of International Civil Aviation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), whereas the Republic of Malawi delegated the conduct of the investigation to the BFU.
With the exposed lies, this means President Lazarus Chakwera lied to the nation that he will conduct an independent investigation over the death of his former deputy, and questions will now be asked as to what his administration is trying to hide from the plane crash.
A month after the fatal crash that killed Chilima, former first lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri and seven others- Chakwera, as with most of his promises- has reneged from the promise of an inquiry to sending his lieutenants to claim the German Investigators will provide all answers.
“Investigations by the BFU are to be carried out separately and independently of judicial or administrative proceedings. The sole purpose of an investigation by the BFU is accident prevention. Investigation reports and safety recommendations do not contain any statements of guilt, liability or claims,” said a media release German Aviation Authority in a statement released on Thursday.
The BFU cannot, therefore, report what happened after it was known the plane went missing, the controversial search that left the former vice president in the forest for 24 hours, or who was responsible for what after the plane was missing.
They are simply technical persons, as per their statement, though Malawians could find comfort that a Global Positioning System (GPS) was secured during the investigation of the wreckage and later transported to the BFU.
“In the recorder and avionics laboratory of the BFU, the data on the accident flight and other flights stored in the GPS could be read out. These will now be analysed very thoroughly. This will take some time,” says the statement.
The BFU has promised that “presumably at the end of August, the BFU will publish an Interim Report in German and English on the website: www.bfu-web.de/EN/. The Interim Report will include the facts that have been gathered up to that point.”
The BFU says the government of the Republic of Malawi requested the Federal Republic of Germany. As such, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU), representing the state of design and manufacturer, dispatched an investigation team to Malawi, which was supported by an expert of the aircraft manufacturer.
The investigation team, supported by experts of the Civil Aviation Administration of Malawi and the Malawi Armed Forces, conducted investigations at the accident site, the aerodrome of departure and destination, as well as the home base of the aeroplane,” adds the statement.
Several Malawians, including activist Bon Kalindo, Rumphi East MP Kamlepo Kalua and CCAP Livingstonia Synod cleric Reverend Chimbilima Gondwe, have been arrested in a crackdown on anyone who alleged that Chilima was deliberately killed.
With the BFU statement, President Chakwera owes Malawians an explanation as to why he is reluctant to institute a formal Commission of Inquiry to probe issues beyond the technical aspect being covered by the manufacturers.
Commission of Inquiries have been established after the death of high profile Malawians including a 1994 Mwanza Four inquiry which the then MCP administration claimed three Ministers and an MP had died in accident in 1983. Another inquiry was in 1991 when a bus collided with a train at Magalasi in Chilimba, another over 1988 Air Malawi plane that Mozambique shot down.
President Joyce Banda instituted a formal Commission of Inquiries over the death of her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, and a Polytechnic student, Chasowa, who was found dead on campus and Police had claimed suicide. Chakwera himself had instituted an inquiry into the arrest of former Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau Martha Chizuma, whose report received a public backlash for not answering questions that Malawians were asked.
Suppose President Chakwera continues to dodge the institution of an independent and credible Commission of Inquiry as he has done. In that case, he will break another record of being the first Head of State in the world to avoid a probe in an accident of his deputy and political rival. He already holds two records as the most frequent flying Malawi leader since 1964 and the first Head of State to publicly hide a report he had asked the late Chilima to compile on Civil Service allowances, and the public made their input.
His assistant Sean Kampondeni doused petrol in conspiracy fires when he claimed that the late Chilima had told him to draft a strategy to communicate with Malawians that he would be supporting Chakwera’s re-election bid in 2025, contradicting the departed Veep’s open claim that he was to lead the Tonse Alliance in 2025.
