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Government will this week challenge a High Court judgement to give RP president Gwanda Chakuamba about K56m for his house in Lilongwe.
Attorney general Ralph Kasambara on Sunday confirmed his chambers will be in court any time this week to give their side of the story on the defence that they have.
He buried speculations that government will not pursue the case but will pay following a post-election coalition between UDF and his Republican party (RP).
Chakuamba sued to get back his house in Area 10, which he lost to government after his imprisonment in 1980 for treason. He was accused of trying to assassinate former president Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
In its ruling the High Court ruled that Chakuamba should get an estimated K56m from government according to an assessment but government challenged the judgement.
Kasambara said government would still go ahead with the matter as previously arranged and sometime this week his chambers will give their side of the story in the High Court in Blantyre.
He said his office would be represented by assistant parliamentary draughtsperson Fiona Kalemba.
Court records show that the attorney general’s chamber is supposed to give their side of the story on September 30.
Among other things, government is challenging the judgement because they claim the matter for which Chakuamba sued is “statute barred”.
Chakuamba will be represented by Rodrick Makono, who took over from Edwin Banda who pulled out of the case on political grounds.
High Court Registrar Sylvester Kalembera could not immediately confirm the date yesterday because he said he needed to verify the facts.
Banda, who was handling the case when judgement was passed, said in June that Chakuamba has a good case which he cannot lose whether inside or outside government.
He claimed government’s decision to challenge the judgement was political “for fear that the RP president who was presidential candidate for Mgwirizano Coalition would have used the money on campaign”.
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