Blantyre City South East Member of Parliament Sameer Sulemani has been ordered to stay away from Parliament for five days.

Sulemani wanted to ask in the House if it is appropriate for President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera to travel to the United Arab Emirates to discuss an oil deal. However, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dalitso Kazombo, did not recognize Sulemani, despite having initially promised to allow him to speak.

This led Sulemani to accuse Kazombo of bias. Initially, Kazombo ordered that Sulemani be removed from the House for one day, but after an uproar, he extended the suspension to four additional days.

Sulemani questioned who would hold the head of state accountable if there were mistakes in the oil deal that Chakwera intends to negotiate.

Days earlier, Chakwera had made a national address outlining his plan to travel to the United Arab Emirates for discussions about the fuel deal. He also mentioned that the trip was being funded by the government of the United Arab Emirates.