Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday formally released from police custody former State Residences chief of staff Prince Kapondamgaga and Idrissah Mwale who were arrested in connection with the Amaryllis Hotel acquisition deal.
Mwale, a former Public Service Pension Trust Fund chairperson, was arrested on Monday alongside Kapondamgaga.
Through his lawyer, Kapondamgaga on Monday obtained a court order nullifying his arrest, but police did not release him.
Chief resident magistrate Austin Banda granted the two bail on condition that they each pay a cash bond of K1 million, produce two sureties bonded at K5 million each, surrender all travel documents and agree to report to National Police Headquarters in Lilongwe fortnightly.
The duo satisfied the conditions and walked free.
Kapondamgaga.
| Nation
Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) director of criminal litigation Dzikondianthu Malunda told the court that the State had no objection to the bail application, saying that the State’s only aim was to bring the suspects before a judge within 48 hours of their arrest.
After the ruling, Kapondamgaga’s lawyer Donvan Silungwe declined to grant interviews, but said that the defence agrees with what the ruling states.
Kapondamgaga and Mwale face three charges: misuse of public office, fraud and money laundering.
Court documents indicate that the alleged crimes happened between March 2024 and October 2025. All three charges relate to the sale of Amaryllis Hotel to the pension fund.
Kapondamgaga’s arrest on Monday came despite a stay order from the Mkukula Magistrate’s Court in Lumbadzi, Dowa. That court had cancelled his arrest warrant, but police went ahead and arrested him.
Silungwe earlier said the police had claimed that they found the order irregular and disregarded it. He then obtained an amended order on Tuesday, which nullified the arrest and ordered Kapondamgaga’s immediate release.
In an interview yesterday, Malunda said investigations into the involvement of Kapondamgaga and Mwale are complete.
“Let me clarify that investigations, as far as the two accused persons are concerned, are completed, so their files or their dockets are complete and ready for trial,” he said.
Malunda said the DPP will decide whether to start trial with only the two suspects or wait for more arrests.
Kapondamgaga is among those whom a leaked report by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended action against for their alleged roles in the Amaryllis Hotel deal. PAC found that his attendance at a meeting on March 6 2024 in Mzuzu represented an irregular incursion into the operational independence of the fund.
