By Cathy Maulidi:
Police in Lilongwe Wednesday arrested activist-cum-dramatist Bon Kalindo for allegedly disobeying bail conditions in a case where he is accused of illegally connecting electricity to his house in Area 25, Lilongwe.
Kalindo was arrested Wednesday morning when he went to the Lilongwe District Commissioner (DC)’s office to deliver a court ruling that allowed him and his colleague Redson Munlo to hold anti-government demonstrations.
Kalindo’s colleague Munlo said they went to deliver the ruling to the DC’s office but officers pounced on them, arresting Kalindo in the process.
The former lawmaker was later taken to Area 30 Police Headquarters in the capital.
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“We planned to hold demonstrations at the State House and the District Commissioner’s office was stopping us. So, we sought relief from the court, which allowed us to hold the demonstrations but 100 metres away from the State House gate,” Munlo said.
Meanwhile, Kalindo has spent the night in police custody and, according to police spokesperson Peter Kalaya, he will be taken to court once the police complete paperwork.
“He will be taken to court to answer charges related to disobeying bail conditions. We will take him to court once we conclude the paperwork. [It] can be on Thursday,” Kalaya said.
According to Kalaya, Kalindo has been disobeying bail conditions as he has not been reporting to police as stated in his bail conditions.
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“He was asked to be reporting to police as one of his bail conditions in the case of illegal electricity connection in Area 25 but he hasn’t been coming to police and this is why we got a warrant of arrest for him. The warrant of arrest was issued by the court on Monday this week,” Kalaya added.
However, the Lilongwe Chief Resident Magistrate Court has suspended the warrant of the arrest for Kalindo, ordering an inter-partes hearing in September.
His lawyer Stanley Chirwa confirmed the development but said the police were, as we went to press, yet to release Kalindo, who, he claimed, has been transferred from Area 30 Police Headquarters to Dwangwa Police Station.
“He has been transferred from Lilongwe to Dwangwa in Nkhotakota. We do not know why he has been moved there,” Chirwa said.
