Police, MRA raid MCP lawyer Kadzipatike’s offices

More than 20 police and Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) officers have raided the law offices of opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) director of legal affairs George Kadzipatike in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.

The raid has raised concerns over the safety of legal files and the possible disruption of services to clients, with Kadzipatike saying the authorities took a number of documents from the two offices.

Kadzipatike, who is also a private practice lawyer, told the local media that the operation was linked to alleged tax issues.

He, however, questioned why MRA chose a raid instead of engaging him directly if the matter was purely about tax compliance.

“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,” he said.

Kadzipatike further alleged that the action was politically motivated, linking it to his legal representation of MCP and opposition figures in court cases.

He also pointed to his involvement in the parliamentary ad-hoc 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 in the ad-hoc parliamentary committee on the Chikangawa plane crash inquiry,” he claimed.

The lawyer said the seizure of files has also caused anxiety among his clients, who are concerned about the whereabouts of documents related to their cases.

He said MRA also seized personal computers belonging to five lawyers at Jivason and Company.

Kadzipatike, however, sought to reassure clients that the raid would not bring the firm’s operations to a halt.

“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 development comes at a sensitive time for Kadzipatike, who combines his legal practice with a prominent role in the opposition MCP.

MRA has yet to publicly respond to Kadzipatike’s allegations of political victimisation or provide details of the alleged tax issues that prompted the operation.