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| National |
| Chronicle to pay Lemani K300,000 |
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by
Gedion Munthali, 02 April 2003
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The High Court in Blantyre on Tuesday ordered a Lilongwe-based weekly, The Chronicle, to pay Water Development Minister Dumbo Lemani about K300,000 for defamation.
Justice Frank Kapanda found The Chronicle guilty of defaming the minister after it alleged in one of its editions that he was involved in the Petroleum Control Commission (PCC) corruption scandal, whose case resumes Wednesday morning before the same judge.
Kapanda said the newspaper failed to prove the minister was involved in the scandal, adding that the article had injured his image for which he had to be compensated.
After the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) compiled a report on their investigation into the scandal, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Fahad Assani said Lemani, who was then energy minister and Davis Kapito, then PCC chair, were not implicated.
Lemani’s lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale said he was happy his client has been vindicated.
He said that the move taken by his client would not give an impression he was out to muzzle the press.
“While there is freedom of the press which we uphold, individuals also have the right to privacy which must equally be upheld,” said Kaphale.
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