DPP Wants ConCourt Judges Probed

Jeffrey addressing the protesters before presenting the petition Jeffrey addressing the protesters before presenting the petition - pic by Happy Njalam'mano

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has called on the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate five judges who nullified the May 21, 2019 presidential elections.

The party says it is worried about “allegations that some judges of the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) received bribes and were involved in corrupt dealings in order to bend justice in favor of petitioners.”

This has been included in a ten-point petition the governing party delivered to the chief justice through the Blantyre City Council (BCC) on Monday.

DPP Secretary General, Grezeldar Jeffrey, presented the petition to BCC Chief Executive Officer, Alfred Chanza.

“We are ready and willing to furnish information and also to testify on such malpractices. Therefore, we call for an investigation for the five constitutional court judges to be probed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on the bribery allegations,” reads the petition in part.

Reading out the petition, DPP Executive Member, Henry Mussa, said the party also demands a probe on the alleged “family relations between some judges and the petitioners themselves.

“For example, as DPP, we can verifiably identify family links between Hon. Dr. Saulos Chilima and Justice Dingiswayo Madise. The DPP strongly observes that, ordinarily, Justice Madise should have recused himself from the matter.

“The DPP demands an investigation into all the spheres of potential conflict of interest involving all the five judges who handled the elections case.”

The DPP, in the petition, says the verdict by the court to nullify the elections “represents a political coup and an attack on the very foundations of our electoral democratic order.”

It added that “the DPP observes that the Constitutional Court never proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the DPP or our presidential candidate, His Excellency Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika, benefitted from the so called MEC [Malawi Electoral Commission] malpractices of the May 2019 elections.”

Chanza assured the demonstrators that he will make sure the petition reaches the chief justice today [Monday].

Meanwhile, the ACB through its spokesperson, Egrita Ndala, says they need time before commenting on the matter.

Hundreds of DPP supporters on Monday peacefully took to the streets of Blantyre in reaction to the court ruling that ordered fresh presidential elections mid this year.

Justices Dingiswayo Madise, Healey Potani, Michael Tembo, Ivy Kamanga and Redson Kapindu nullified the elections on grounds that it was marred by massive and systematic irregularities.

Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, president of the Malawi Congress party and his UTM counterpart, Dr. Saulos Chilima, challenged the presidential elections’ results that saw President Peter Mutharika being declared winner.

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Last modified on Monday, 17/02/2020

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