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Malewezi appears in court
By
Mc Donald Chapalapata - 22-11-2002 |
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Vice president Justin Malewezi on Thursday appeared before Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate but failed to testify in a case where Adamu Jere is accused of defaming him over his kidney transplant.
Malewezi, dressed in a grey suit and accompanied by his wife Felicity, failed to testify because both the accused and his lawyer, Ralph Kasambara of Blantyre-based Lawson & Company, did not turn up.
Court Clerk Chimwemwe Mtenje said in an interview after the brief court session that presiding magistrate Ken Manda issued a warrant of arrest for the accused following a request from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Fahad Assani.
“The DPP made an application to have Jere’s bail conditions revoked because he did not turn up and gave no reason of his absence. A warrant of arrest was issued by the presiding magistrate,” said Mtenje.
Assani said in a separate interview that he sent documents of the case to Jere’s lawyer on November 6.
“He is aware that the matter was coming up for hearing today because we served the documents on his lawyers almost 15 days ago, which I think is enough time,” he said.
But Kasambara said it was ridiculous for the DPP to go ahead with the matter when he knew that Kasambara was handling another court case involving two UDF members of parliament in the High Court in Blantyre.
“The DPP knows that I am doing this case with the two MPs, I am with the Attorney General here and the High Court takes precedence over all matters in the magistrate’s court.”
“He knows that there is this matter, it’s not a hidden matter, the newspapers and the radio have reported that the case has been adjourned to this afternoon. How does he expect me to be found in two courts at the same time?” wondered Kasambara, adding that he was going to challenge the warrant of arrest.
There was a heavy police presence at the court and officers manning the gate denied entry to journalists allegedly on instructions from Malewezi’s guard commander.
Malewezi arrived at the court a few minutes before 9am and stayed in the court for almost 15 minutes.
According to court records, Jere is said to have written a letter in 1999 to then Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Patrick Mbewe claiming that his relation Gift Banda donated a kidney to Malewezi and not Chief Lukwa, as was officially reported.
Jere is being charged with giving false information to a person employed in the public service contrary to section 122 (b) of the penal code. |
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