Chilima was arrested in November 2022 on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts to Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies connected to British businessman Zuneth Sattar.

A court in Malawi has dropped corruption charges against the country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima after the state prosecutor filed a notice for the case to be discontinued.

No reasons were given for the decision, which clears a legal hurdle over Chilima’s potential candidacy in next year’s presidential election.

Chilima was arrested in November 2022 on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts to Xaviar Ltd and Malachitte FZE, two companies connected to British businessman Zuneth Sattar.

Both Chilima and Sattar denied any wrongdoing.

Judge Redson Kapindu said in a notice on Monday that the decision to drop the charges was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) filed a notice on Friday for the case to be discontinued.

Kapindu ordered the DPP to formally inform the legal affairs committee of parliament within 10 days the reasons that led to the decision to drop the charges against the vice-president, as required by the country’s constitution.

The latest move has provoked questions over the government’s handling of prosecutions for alleged corruption.

Chilima has made several court appearances since his arrest, although the actual trial never commenced.

Chilima’s lawyer, Khumbo Soko, said his team was relieved over the decision to drop the criminal charges against the vice president.

“As of now, we do not know the reasons for the discontinuance, suffice to say only parliament has the mandate to know,” Soko said.

Critics of the Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera say the development is a further indication of his difficulties in fighting alleged corruption.

Chakwera made dealing with graft one of his major campaign pledges in 2020. In public speeches, he repeatedly speaks highly of his government’s commitment to bringing corruption to an end.

When tens of other high-profile officials including the vice-president were named in a corruption scandal, the president dismissed several of the named officials.

The president cannot fire the vice-president under Malawian law. But Chakwera made a public announcement that he would no longer delegate Chilima any official duties while he was facing trial.

Chakwera’s promise did not last long, and he had started to assign official duties to his vice-president even before the case was dropped on Monday.

This has led critics to suggest that the president had a hand in the decision to end the case against Chilima.

Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu, however, said the decision to drop the charges was made in accordance with the law.