Malawi Vice-President Saulos Klaus Chilima, whose plane went missing on Monday, June 10, is dead.
Chilima’s death comes barely a month after a court acquitted him of corruption-related charges, effectively clearing him to vie for the presidency in elections slated for next year.
Also expected to run in the election is former President Peter Mutharika. The two would have faced off with President Lazarus Chakwera, who will be seeking a second term.
VP Chilima, who was in the company of nine other State and military officials, died when the military aircraft they were travelling in from Lilongwe crashed in Chikangawa mountain rain, ostensibly due to bad weather. The VP was leading the delegation to the burial of the country former Attorney-General and minister for Justice.
“The search and rescue and rescue operation for the Malawi Defence Force Aircraft that went missing on Monday, 10th June, 2024, has regretfully ended in tragedy,” said a statement signed by Ms Coleen Zamba, the Secretary to the Malawi President and Cabinet.
President Lazarus Chakwera, who had been scheduled to fly out of the country on the eve of the crash, cancelled his trip and declared a day of mourning, announcing that flags would fly at half-mast until the day Chilima will be buried.
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According to APA News, he had been accused of accepting bribes “to influence the award of government contracts to companies linked to British businessman Zuneth Sattar”.
Both he and Mr Sattar had denied wrongdoing before the Director of Public Prosecutions filed a notice seeking to discontinue the case.
Reuters reported that Chilima, who died aged 51, had been arrested in 2022 after the country’s corruption watchdog alleged that he had been rewarded for assisting Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies associated with Mr Sattar, to be awarded government contracts.
President Chakwera had relieved Chilima of official duties during the trial but reinstated him on just before his acquittal.
On Tuesday, while addressing his nation, President Chakwera said: “I’m deeply saddened, I’m sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy. The search and rescue team has found the aircraft near a hill… with no survivors.”
Last month, Iranian President Ebrahim Rais died when the military plane he was travelling in crashed in a mountainous region, making the death of Chilima the second military aircraft death of a senior State officer in as many months.
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