Modecai Msisha grills MEC’s Sammy Alfandika on Tippex
Lawyer representing Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Senior Counsel Modecai Msisha, Friday grilled Malawi Electoral Commission Chief Elections Officer Sammy Alfandika on a number of issues regarding May 21 Tripartite Elections.
This was during cross-examination in the ongoing presidential election case being heard at the Constitutional Court in Lilongwe.
Among others, Msisha asked Alfandika on where Mec officials got the Tippex used to alter results in the elections.
Alfandika admitted to the court that Mec did not supply the electoral officials in constituency tally centres with Tippex.
“The Tippex came from Teacher’s Development Centres in the constituency tally centres,” Alfandika said.
Msisha further asked Alfandika if Mec had inspected all the tally centres to ensure that there were no materials that could threaten the credibility of the elections.
Alfandika said the teams that visited the tally centres were looking for two things such as availability of space and availability for network to transmit the results.
Msisha further asked Alfandika if the commission made a decision on how to handle results sheets that were contaminated with Tippex.
Msisha wondered why Alfandika did not bring to court minutes of commissioners’ meeting regarding the overwhelming use of Tippex when the whole world was discussing that Malawi’s elections had been affected by Tippex.
“In spite of that, you didn’t bring the minutes of that meeting to court?” Msisha asked.
Alfandika said he did not see it necessary to include the results of the minutes of the commission meeting to court to form part of his sworn statement.
“I don’t think the minutes would authenticate the Tippexed results. I did not find it relevant to bring the minutes,” Alfandika said.
Hearing of the case continues Monday when Msisha would continue to cross-examine Alfandika.
MCP president Lazarus Chakwera and UTM president Saulos Chilima are challenging the results of May 21 elections which they claim were marred by many irregularities.
Chakwera and Chilima are asking the court to nullify the results of the elections which declared Democratic Progressive Party’s President Peter Mutharika the winner.
