A press statement purportedly issued by the Office of former President Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, claiming he would not appear before the Ad-Hoc Committee investigating a plane crash, has been exposed as a fake.

The document, dated September 14, 2026, and carrying the official seal of the Office of Dr Lazarus M. Chakwera, was widely shared on social media.

It claimed the former president had decided against appearing before the committee, insisting he had relied solely on briefings from authorities when commenting on the incident and had no involvement in the aircraft's technical or operational aspects.

The statement was signed off in the name of Gift Nankhuni, MP, described in the document as spokesperson for the 6th President of the Republic of Malawi.

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However, Nankhuni has since come out to deny issuing the statement, branding it fake and distancing himself and Chakwera's office from its contents entirely.

Contrary to the claims made in the fabricated letter, indications are that Chakwera is now likely to appear before the Ad-Hoc Committee to respond to questions relating to the plane crash, rather than declining to do so as the fake statement suggested.

The episode raises fresh concerns over the circulation of doctored official documents in Malawi, with questions now likely to be asked over who was behind the forged letter and what they hoped to achieve by putting words in the former president's office's mouth.