Suzi Banda quits PPDA board role

Private practice lawyer John Suzi Banda has resigned as board chairperson of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) two weeks after President Lazarus Chakwera suspended him.

In an interview on Monday, Secretary to the Treasury MacDonald Mafuta Mwale confirmed being informed by Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba about Suzi Banda’s resignation.

But he said he was yet to see his resignation letter, as such, he could not share the reasons for his resignation.

Mafuta Mwale said: “Yes, he [Suzi Banda] has resigned. I was informed by the SPC who received the letter. As for the reason, I will have to first see the letter.”

Efforts to speak to Zamba proved futile as she could not be reached while Compntroller of Statutory Corporations did not pick up our phone calls on numerous attempts.

Suzi Banda, a former Malawi Law Society president, could also not be reached for comment by press time.

Chakwera suspended Suzi Banda on June 21 2022 following a report from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) that implicated him in an alleged corruption scandal involving United Kingdom-based businessperson Zuneth Sattar.

In a national address themed ‘Matter of National Importance’ delivered at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, the President also suspended State Residences chief of staff Prince Kapondamgaga and fired Inspector General of Police George Kainja.

The President further withheld delegated functions of Vice-President Saulos Chilima pending investigations for being mentioned in the ACB report.

The report, according to Chakwera, did not specifically mention the roles of Chilima and Kapondamgaga to their alleged involvement with Sattar. The President described the report as substandard.

The Chakwera’s address came at the expiry of 21 days he gave the ACB to submit the report in relation to the bureau’s investigations of Sattar whose companies have multi-billion kwacha procurement contracts with government ministries, departments and agencies . Suzi Banda was appointed PPDA board chairperson on September 24 2020.