Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango has confirmed that his office has received all three reports related to the military plane crash that killed Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others.
He, however, has ruled out compensation claims in his ongoing review.
Mhango was responding to Mchinji North East member of Parliament Anthony Masamba (Malawi Congress Party), who asked the government to consider compensating the families of those who died in the June 10 2024 plane crash.
Addressing Parliament yesterday, Masamba said: “Some of the officers who died in the crash had children and families. The government should consider compensation.”
In response, Mhango said he now has on his desk the interim report from German investigators, the Commission of Inquiry report and the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) report.
He said he is reviewing the documents before submitting his legal opinion to President Peter Mutharika.
The minister clarified that compensation does not fall within the scope of his review, stressing that such matters are handled through existing insurance arrangements rather than through legal or ministerial intervention.
“In my opinion, the issue of compensation is not part of the review that I am doing. In such a circumstance, compensation is handled through insurance. I believe the aircraft was comprehensively insured, including coverage for the aircraft itself, the passengers, and the crew,” said Mhango.
However, he indicated that his review of the reports would extend beyond the technical findings to identify any “elements of criminality, bad governance or bad behaviour”.
The confirmation that all reports have been received comes amid renewed public pressure for transparency and calls for a fresh inquiry into the plane crash.
The tragedy claimed the lives of Chilima, former first lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri, and seven others when a Malawi Defence Force aircraft crashed in Viphya Plantation in Nkhata Bay.
