Court rescues George Chaponda
The Supreme Court of Appeal has vacated an interim injunction that was granted by the High Court sitting in Mzuzu restraining Agriculture Minister George Chaponda from discharging ministerial duties to pave way for the investigations by the Commission of Inquiry instituted by President Peter Mutharika on January 1, 2017.
The applicants of the injunction were; Charles Kajoloweka of the Youth and Society, Gift Trapence of the Centre for the Development of the People, the Church and Society of the Livingstonia Synod of the Central African Presbyterian.
They obtained the injunction fearing that Chaponda’s continued serving as a Cabinet minister in the wake of the investigations into the maize scam might disturb the process.
Presiding Judge, Dustain Mwaungulu, said the argument by the applicants that Chaponda would interfere with the investigations was not a basis to grant the injunction by the lower court.
“The President instituted a Commission of Inquiry which has its instruments and has powers to deal with all people who interfere with its investigations. In this case, Chaponda was not supposed to be crippled from his duties as was decided by the lower court,” said Mwaungulu.
Lawyer representing the applicants, Wesley Mwafulirwa, said they will proceed with the appeal which the judge ordered to be made within seven days.
The state was represented by Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphale.
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